


In Time, This Too Shall Pass

by macabrecabra



Category: Diablo (Video Game), Diablo III
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Demons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Modern Era, Multi, No spoilers in the tags, Other, Sort of? - Freeform, Time Shenanigans, Worldbuilding, its complicated, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2019-10-26 13:34:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 393,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17746829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macabrecabra/pseuds/macabrecabra
Summary: An unwanted incident sends Imperius spiraling into a new world where everything has changed and all that was once known is lost. With no where to turn to, it is in those he hates most he must take solace and strength in order to set right the wrongs and let go of the past before it consumes everything.





	1. Fall From Grace

Sanctuary was a wretched, horrid abomination of a place.  
It was a world conceived by traitors of heaven and the taint of demons, and it showed in every chaotic, malignant, and infernal beast that wriggled in the mud. True, light may shine down upon Sanctuary, but it only served to cast longer shadows of corruption upon the land and grant the creatures of evil a place to thrive and breed. What good could come out of the place seemed forever tied to the amount of evil that could also claw its way out. It was a world completely grey and it was still so unfathomable that such a sacrilegious place existed. Having to even think about Inarius’s ghastly world was enough to set off a fury within Imperius’s resonance. 

It was even worse though when he had to stand upon the soil of the place and had to beheld Sanctuary in all its awful glory first hand and have to stoop so low as to defend it. Yet this was the will of the counsel, despite his very vocal protest, and it was seen more and more as a bulwark battlefield against invasions from Hell given the incident with Diablo that nearly spelled Heaven’s doom. Be it actual care for the mortals or the idea of it being the new Pandemonium of the conflict, it was made clear that Heaven would now take action against their ancient enemy. It was merely another point against this mortal world that sent a tremor of anger through Imperius.

The archangel of valor’s hand curled tightly around his spear as he gazed down at the battle below that he was in charge of overseeing. Armies of humans and angels alike clashed against the forces of Hell with all the might they could muster. It almost felt like the war had started anew with the fall of Malthael as the shattering of the black soulstone had unleashed evil once more rampant across the lands of Sanctuary. The forces of Hell had quickly marshaled up its forces again to lay siege once more to the mortal world, intent on claiming the place as its new conquest. It was all out war and the old treaty laying in tattered ruins upon the now blood-soaked fields of Sanctuary. 

To be fair, Imperius would have been content to let the world of the nephelem burn under Hell’s touch as it was the dull-minded nature of the wretched nephelem and humans that had let evil so willingly into their company, but the counsel, as ever these days, sided with Tyrael’s pleas to strengthen humanities bulwark against the coming tides of Hell. The Aspect of Widsom had argued that if nothing was done to turn the tide, Hell would simply gain the great strength of the nephelem. The combined power that would bring against them would all but decimate Heaven. The statement was of sound wisdom and if Malthael still remained, most likely a comment he himself would make. Yet, it still burned Imperius up inside more to be reminded how even Heaven was at the mercy of these nephelem wretches now. 

Thus he stood, stewing in his rage and disgust, watching the soldiers of Heaven fight alongside the barely organized, weak-willed armies of humanity. He himself did not wade in to do battle like he once did. There was no joy in battle alongside these mortals, nor did valor rise up within him to inspire troops to greater strength. There was too much contempt for the situation for him to take any pleasure in what was asked of him, thus he provided as little aid as he could give in the preservation of human life. His concern was in the survival of his own troops and of Heaven’s defenses. 

After all that had happen from the near fall of Heaven to the slaying of Malthael, a bitter chord was left within valor’s resonance. He would not help those that he still held responsible for all the travesties that had come upon his home. 

“The battle is not going well, Imperius. If I did not know any better, I would think you wish Hell to overcome our forces.”

The archangel of valor did not turn to address the accusatory statement of the speaker, barely casting a glance aside, “The battle was lost before it began. These lands should have been forfeited, Tyrael. The terrain is too open and in direct combat, the armies of Hell have always held the advantage of numbers. We should have withdrawn to a stronger position to engage.”

“That would have cost the lives of countless innocent, Imperius. We cannot just turn a blind eye and forgo any attempt to save them!” 

The tone Tyrael used was so different than the past. So…emotionally driven. Weak. Imperius could sometimes barely comprehend how this mortal, this rabid dog of humanity, was at one time his brother. It only added more sting to the hurt and anger that continued to swirl within his very soul.

“I am concerned with defeating Hell. I am concerned with removing the taint of these demon-spawns from the world. Angels are being sacrificed to hold a front that is of no consequence. Victory here will gain nothing.” Imperius rumbled, finally turning to regard Tyrael, “It is a waste but you have become so short-sighted, you are no longer capable of seeing the bigger picture. A handful of farmers doesn’t justify the loss of life here.”

Tyrael scowled in response to Imperius’s words, his shoulders tensing. Such a physical response to what was said had Imperius internally cringing, hating how he no longer could feel what was once his brethren and having to rely on such… basic means to read mood and intention.

“They are fighting for survival against Hell’s onslaught, the same as you. And let us not forget it was the nephelem who defeated Diablo. It was humanity that has been contesting evil where it emerges and pushing back against the shadow. They made the choice to do what is right and we should at least honor them as comrades in arms!” 

Tyrael spoke with so much fervor, so much conviction on the behalf of humanity but his words fell only upon deaf ears that no longer wished to hear the same tired arguments. The world that Tyrael now saw was not the one Imperius saw. 

All he saw was the destruction brought on by humanity being unable to choose the light before the shadows had grown so strong and terrible. 

“The battle is a waste. There are other war fronts that would have benefited more from what little forces Heaven can still offer after your dear nephelem allowed Diablo to lay siege to Heaven and destroy so much of what we once were.”

“The nephalem-“

“Let the soul stone be handled by a child under your advice. Let a witch you could not trust into your midst. Played right into the plans of Diablo as foolishly and blindly as you did.” Imperius snapped, “How you and your precious Horadrim took the soulstone here to Sanctuary thinking you could hide it where no one would come upon it and allowed Malthael, mad as he was, to take it and triggering the events to lead to this damnable war upon the humans you so cherish! Not to mention it was the dead souls of humanity that drove our brother mad by making him unable to see the wisdom of the chalice! The common thread throughout all of it is the nephalem and humanity!”  
Tyrael did not back down, squaring his shoulders as he met Imperius’s fiery countenance with one of all too familiar defiance, “At least humanity can learn from their mistakes and change! Unlike you Imperius, who clings to the past and your own hatred as readily as Mephisto himself!” 

Imperius felt fury race through his resonance at the accusation as well as a slim quiver of hurt he would never admit to himself. He trembled and burned brighter, wings flaring out like an inferno. He could shout back and spit venom, but he knew Tyrael would only continue to argue back against anything he said and escalate the situation between them. It was so easy for them now to throw vicious barbs rather than talk like they had once, long ago. Imperius did not want to hear another word pass Tyrael’s lips. Not a single word more. 

In the blink of an eye, Imperius was gone in a flurry of fire away from where he had stood near Tyrael, arching heavenward before abruptly hurtling towards the ground. He plummeted downwards into the sea of battle, the shock wave turneing the surrounding demons to ashes in an instant. The defenders around put up a ragged cheer, seeing valor’s appearance to battle as a blessing.

It almost made Imperius pity the wretches. If only they knew that every death around him, every demon he incinerated within his radius, was merely an outlet. Every demon wore Tyrael’s face, the many faces of the nephelem, the face of every damned creature he wish he had the means to rip apart without being branded a traitor of his own glorious Heaven by a counsel that no longer listened to him and trusted the wisdom of a mortal fallen angel. How these defenders cheered him on when he had no desire to see any of them saved. 

All the world was wrong, shattered, and in that moment, all Imperius could do was roar with the anger searing through his soul, the pure fury that felt like it would tear his resonance apart and press forward to slaughter demons in an attempt to find comfort once again in the world. All else was tuned out to the dull roar of battle. Nothing else mattered but eliminating whatever hell spawn rose up to try and challenge his might.   
Imperius charged forward, blazing in and out of existence, a fiery comet of death to the legions of Hell. Solarius tore through the ranks of his ancient enemy with well-practiced ease sundering the beasts apart in a shower of gore. For a moment, he could forget about why he was even involved in this battle and try to pretend it was the early days of the eternal conflict where his valor and vigor once reigned supreme against the forces of Hell. It was a small moment of deluded bliss, but it was not a feeling that was meant to last.   
As his spear rose to strike into another demon, the beast erupted in energy, bursting apart in a shower of stringy gore. For a moment, the archangel of valor paused, wings tensed and his attention briefly pulled from the battle to regard the figure standing above the carnage on a small ridge to the right. 

The nephelem, the damnable she-wizard if he recalled, radiated power, one with death itself now, and earning the title admirably as she arrived, unleashing annihilation upon the legions of Hell. It was awe inspiring as much as it was another grim reminder of just how….weak even Heaven was in the fury of these now god-like entity. Imperius’s form heated with a dull anger, but he ignored them, turning away and rapidly moving to another part of the battle although the damage was done. The battle had been soured all over again and even slaying demons had lost the former glory and excitement it use to inspire in him.

The anger burned only hotter. The hatred rising up to sour his resonance to a contemptuous roar within his armor. The rage was blinding and he moved about without thought, his spear coming down again and again. All that could be done was to fight. To kill. To keep repeating the sole action left for him to do as nothing he said no longer meant anything. His fury made him unaware of everything that went on around him, dulling the sound of battle to a muffle buried under the rancorous hum of his resonance.

He did not take heed of the warning. Not until it was too late to act. 

It was a sudden cry that rose over the din of battle. The sudden scream of his name that had Imperius turning towards the source. The world seemed to slow to a crawl in mere moments and a deafening silence seemed to swallow up the field of battle as a lone, yet powerful beam of stray energy rocketed its way across the battlefield towards him. 

His wings spread, his entire form starting to heat up with the start of a leap but by then, there was not enough time to phase away. Energy crashed into his chest, not lethal perhaps, but with enough force to send him flying backwards and scramble his resonance. Imperius’s senses were reeling as he tried to gain his bearings, a few breathless curses escaping him. The sensation of falling crept up on him even as wings flared out, the very tips leaving blazing trails along the walls of the crevice he had been thrown into. Heat was at his back as he flailed, hands scrapping against the sides without purchase. 

The blast had been a mighty one, no doubt able to kill the weaker and even some of the stronger demons. He may have withstood the accidental hit, but his resonance and senses were so scrambled, he struggled to focus his resonance to form the will to fly. His wings were merely bleeding bursts of flaming hot energy, burning away at the walls. Then there was sudden searing pain against his back that sent his senses reeling into sudden pain as he hit the bottom of the crevice. 

The discarded weapons of demons that had fallen pierced into his armor, mixing with the molten mess of rock that had dripped into the crack in the earth from the arcane magic lashing out across the battlefield. Imperius snarled as he pulled himself off the accursed weapons, staggering to his feet, shuddering at the burning trails of molten rock sliding over his back, damaging his armor. Oh, would he have words with Tyrael and his wizard “champion” over this and perhaps it would be enough of an excuse to pull back all heavenly aid.

He barely had the time to consider the thought in detail before the ground rumbled, the tremors causing an avalanche of rock and debris to start raining down from above. Another curse rose out of Imperius as he squared his shoulders, vanishing for an instant with the intent of teleporting away to the top of the fissure. Instead, he materialized only a few feet away from his original position and still within harm’s way of the falling debris. Confusion raced through Imperius’s thoughts as he looked wildly about before quickly ducking forward to avoid the boulders as they crashed down around him, sending more of the molten slurry of arcane power and rock onto his form. The hot liquid seared the armor, melting trails over the golden exterior, spreading out more like a caustic ooze that refused to relinquish its prey. That though was far from Imperius’s thoughts. 

Something was wrong. Never had he experienced an inability to vanish and appear as he pleased. His first assumption went to the blast that had toppled him into this mess but no, his resonance had recovered and once more thrummed with power within him. 

The issue was from something else that was working against his will to contain his power. He continued to move forward, splashing through pools of mixed demonic entrails and the arcane slag of various magical spells and incantations clashing and peppering the land with its twisted energies. The very fabric of it radiated-

Imperius felt a pit open up within his soul as it dawned at him what was containing his power so. The mere remnants of the damn powers of the nephalem, or more, the remnants of that power had been coated onto his armor from the melted mess that had gathered at the bottom of the fissure was the culprit for the sudden dulling of his power. The arcane soup of energy and demonic blood, all coagulating together almost seemed to act for a sealant against heavenly powers. It was almost crystal like as it started to harden and cool on his being, acting more akin to a soulstone, leeching his energy.

Yet simply blocking his powers wasn’t all the cooling mixture was doing. Every step became more of a fight to take and it was with no slow realization he realized that something in this unholy mixture was practically sealing him within his own armor. That thought alone caused a new wave of anger to radiate from his being directed towards the nephelem and he attempt to take to wing, yet something in the air itself seemed to push down on his shoulders. 

Each push to rise was a struggle even as valor gave all that he had to overcome the crippling raw energy encasing him. Each push caused him to snarled, blazing up into an inferno of righteous fury. He could not fly, his wings one of the first things to dim as his energy became sealed, but he continued to move forward on sheer will alone. He clutched onto the wall of the crevice and painstakingly pulled himself up it, straining with every movement. His resonance was a howl of fury that no doubt was rippling over the fields of battle as he miraculously made it to the top, sliding onto hands and knees, the fingers of one hand curling up against the dirt. 

Imperius lifted his head and for a moment the whole battlefield was crystal clear. There was Tyrael, shouting something from where he stood, a breaching ship among the tide of hellspawn. The aspect of wisdom’s gaze was turned towards the archangel of valor as the nephelem at his side turned as well, eyes wide in relief. 

The fury only grew in Imperius at the sight, wanting to do nothing but scream at them. It was the wizard nephalem who had caused all this, who even now, was the cause of his own form starting to freeze up inch by inch even as he raised a hand towards them, not for aid, but in a raging desire to all but crush the breath from their wretched body. 

Imperius let out a wordless scream as he stopped moving all together able to see and think, trapped within his own body as the crystalized magic all but encased him in a thin layer. The roar of a mallet lord pierced the air as the thing swung forward to try and crush the human forces crowded about its limbs, the powerful hit once more sending a tremor through the earth. The cliff beneath Imperius’s stiff body gave way and he fell, landing back in the mess below, the arcane fragments washing over his frame and above, an avalanche of rocks caved in, blocking out the light and the din of battle. A silent scream of rage that would never find breath rumbled in his resonance as the rocks closed in, sealing his tomb.

Then, there was only darkness.


	2. Discovery

“Hey boss! We got something big here!”

 

Sage cursed as he jolted awake. The spindly office chair he had been perched on let out a protesting groan at the sudden movement, threatening to give out as Sage righted himself, scowling in irritation as he picked up the walkie from his desk.

“What is it Jave?”

“You gotta see it to believe it man! I know most of the archaeological bullshit has just been collections of bones of weird beasts, but this thing we have here? It’s incredible!”

Sage let out an irritated sigh, slumping forward on his desk as he ran a hand through his short, greasy brown hair, “Yeah but you aren’t telling me what it is exactly Jave.”

“A full suit of armor is what! Pretty damn impressive too, all encased in the Nephalite crystal!” 

That caused Sage to arch an eyebrow and he slowly sat up. He was reluctant to admit his interest really. He had seen plenty of armor in the ground. Digging mines for nephalite crystals to sell to jewelers world-wide tended to lend itself to more than a few interesting finds. Usually it was just junk and it wasn’t unusual to find the bones of strange creatures scattered about along with human ones. Strange artifacts that seemed to serve no purpose that looked like they were designed by mad-men as well were common. 

All those little artifacts were nothing more than an extra few hundreds to a paycheck though at the end of the day as there was always some quack in a museum willing to buy it. The older the better and given how deep they had been digging, this thing that Jave was squawking about probably was in the range of thousands of years old.

“Well, just hold off. I’ll be done in a second.”

Sage lurched off his chair and moved to pull on his jacket before grabbing his keys and stomping out of the office. The only way down to the new tunnels was taking the shaft elevator which was a long, fifteen minute ride downwards with the whole construction creaking and shuddering around. A sigh of relief escaped him as he saw the elevator was up and was quick to step in and punch the switch to head down to the new tunnels at the very bottom of the shaft. 

The elevator gave a protesting groan as the gate door rattled closed before starting to descend, the dark light up only by a few bulbs of light every so many meters. The foreman leaned against the side of the elevator, watching the dull rock wall through the latticed grate that encased the elevator. Every so many feet, the rock seemed to change to a different shade, growing darker and darker and a strange smell of ozone started to grow stronger from below. 

Soon the rock was glistening, oozing a caustic liquid down the walls. Nephalite crystals were tricky to dig up. Some of them were hollow in the inside and contained a liquid that could cause horrific burns and death if exposed to enough. Working with the stuff was a hazard, but the pay-off made up for it. Just a karat of Nephalite could go for as much as ten thousand dollars on the market and although jewelers wanted it, the bigger business buying it up were more the tech giants and scientists wanting to study and find a use for the stuff in the field of energy. 

The softly glowing liquid trails were always a good sign of a big cache nearby and after digging so far down, the whole mining team had practically thrown a party at the sight. The liquid trails only grew more obvious and more vibrant against the rock as the elevator descended and soon with a groan, it was touching down at the bottom of the shaft, giving a tire ding before the gate fell down. 

Sage stepped out, shoving his hands into his pockets and started out along the tunnel. Most of the early tunnels had nothing left but some slurry of the liquefied crystal remnants that splashed harmlessly against his hip high boots, but as he moved further in, larger chunks of crystals began to extend from the wall, carefully dug out and in the process of being extracted. Not a soul was in the tunnel, no doubt everyone had rushed down to the big discovery. Sage sighed, moving to take out his carton of cigarettes, bringing one to his lips as he turned the corner, following the murmur of a crowd echoing down one of the tunnels. 

The miners were packed in tight when Sage arrived. He didn’t bother to light the cigarette in his mouth as he moved to push pass the throng, frowning just a tad. There was an excited murmur in the air and by the time he got to the front, he understood why.

True they found things frozen in the crystal before, usually some small animal, a few bones or half decayed bodies, but there had never been anything quite like what he was beholding now. 

The figure was huge, far larger than any normal human, although it was clearly humanoid in form. The armor was intricately detailed and covered nearly every part of the figure, all of it looking like it was made of pure gold. Strange protrusions exited from the back, lifted slightly upwards and even odder, a circlet of gold rested about the head although it did not seem to be attached to the figure itself. Something about it inspired a sense of awe, as if the very presence of it brought to light some stirring of strength.

“Well boss? Told you it was something big!”

Sage sighed, whatever awe he had quickly bleeding out with the snide tone of the head miner. He moved to finally light his cigarette, glowering over at Jave, “I’ll admit, it’s impressive but just looks like fancy armor to me.”

“Fancy armor encased in nephalite. I mean, whoever this is, he was a big bastard. I bet ancient humans thought of him as some sort of god!” Jave began excitedly, eyes fixed on the glinting armor embedded in the crystal. 

“Or just some big ole brute you put on the front line to scare people,” Sage drawled, “Question is can we extract it out of the crystal?”

“No can do. We took a core sample and although the outer part is solid crystal, the inner part is jelly. We cut this open and it is going to start leaking out and might cause the armor to degrade. Not to mention it is giving off an anomaly heat that is keeping the crystal from fully forming.”

That information had Sage furrowing his brow, now a little more intrigued. True, nephalite crystals often contained liquid in small parts, it took some incredible heat to maintain it at state of being between solid and liquid like that. “Any source for the heat?”

“Preliminary readings seem to put the armor itself as the heat source actually,” Jave explained, glancing back to the entrapped figure, “Which is strange as I don’t know how armor produces heat.”

That had Sage arching his eyebrow again as he blew out a cloud of smoke, “Huh. Interesting. I’m sure the museum nuts are going to shit themselves to get their hands on this.”

“We just giving them the whole chunk?” Jave asked.

“No, we are going to give them this in pieces,” Sage responded flatly, “Of course we are giving them the whole damn thing! The jelly inside is as useless as the liquid and if we just break it to get the armor, damn thing might fall apart like the other pieces we found!”

That had always been a strange thing to find. Normal armor, typically pierced through by another weapon that upon touch or even moved an inch, crumbled to dust. It was one reason that now new archaeological laws for mines and dig sites were to keep such relics contained rather than extracted. 

Sage blew out a final blast of smoke before he dropped his cigarette to the ground, stomping it out, “Map out the crystal chunk and get it cut out and moved. I’m heading upstairs to call the big boss and set about selling this off.”

He let his eyes move over the armored figure. The whole thing radiated its own heat and he swore he felt like it was somehow watching him, but he quickly shrugged that unease off. Armor wasn’t sentient. It was probably how well preserved it was that was setting him off. Sage turned on his heels and started to push his way back through the crowd as Jave started to holler orders behind him. His thoughts were now on the extraction costs and moving costs that would need to be factored into the overall price of the artifact. It was going to be a price tag with a lot of zeros at the end that was for sure. The sort of thing that only the biggest museums or museum donors would be able to purchase. 

A slight smirk curled his lips at the thought and there was a slight giddy step in the over-weight foreman’s step as he plodded back onto the elevator and hit the switch to head back up to the top of the shaft. The ride seemed even slower and by the time it reached the top, Sage was already briskly walking back into his office and picking up the phone. 

He punched in the number and waited quietly as the line rang once. Twice.

“This better be good Sage.”

The gruff, irritated voice on the other end did nothing to wipe the grin off Sage’s face as he leaned in, pressing his ear to the phone. The sound of money was already playing to a sweet tune in the back of Sage’s money as he gave his response, brimming with eager anticipation. 

“Oh it is sir. It is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but a bridge chapter c: Telling you now, the chapters will get progressively longer as things go on XD


	3. Awakening

Chapter Three

Awe was written across the faces of the tour group as they gazed up at the massive crystal on display gleaming under the bright display lights. Murmurs were exchanged in hushed voices as if no one wished to break the strange revered silence that had fallen on the group.

Aladria couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she stood patiently at the head of the group, waiting for the sight to sink in. She silently counted down a few seconds before she dramatically swept her arm out and towards the crystal. 

“Although we are all familiar with nephalite crystals, it is not uncommon to find things embedded in the crystal itself. Even rarer to find a specimen like the one you see before you!” 

Aladria turned to gaze up at the crystal, eyes tracing over the armor figured within and feeling the usual giddy excitement that came with being able to talk about the museums newest acquisition, generously bought and donated by one of their usual benefactors in industry. “The armor you see is in perfect condition despite being over four thousand years old! Typically, those artifacts found within nephilite crystal like you see here was created during a lost period of history known merely as the darkened age. Most knowledge of the time has been lost or destroyed, thus when artifacts like this one are recovered, and we can get a glimpse into the life our ancient ancestors lived.”

She turned back to the group, folding her hands in front of her. Not all of them were listening to her true, but still, there was a certain excitement in explaining the past, even if so much of it was unknown.  
“The armor you see before you matches description of a figure of old known as Imperius who was known as the archangel of valor, but is thought to have been a champion of a religious sect known as the Zakarum. We are not sure if it was one person or it was a title passed down. Some even believe it was some sort of statue adorned in the armor you see here given its size.”

“An archangel?”

The skepticism was thick in the speaker’s voice, a young boy looking like he had been merely dragged to the museum by his family. Aladria merely smiled in response, giving a nod, “Yes. Archangels were worshiped and were said to hold dominion over different aspects. However, these were merely deities of belief, not actual real life figures. Imperius is an idea, a concept of valor to believe in.” She chuckled, giving a shake of her head, “Magic, demons, and angels are merely stories told by our ancestors to explain things in the world that were seen as frightening or a strange blessing.”

The crowd murmured, some starting to lose interest in the centerpiece and now trailing off to examine other exhibits. Aladria didn't mind. Honestly with the museum about to close within a half-hour and her own shift ending a half hour more after that, she was sort of grateful for a group that was probably looking to head home themselves. She stepped back, looking about the room, noting ever exhibit by heart.

The crystal collection held many frozen figures, most of them rather fearsome bones or half rotted corpses. A few had some sort of old weapon or armor trapped within, tarnished with age. Nothing in her department had been all that interesting, not until the new addition had come. 

Aladria’s attention turned back to the large suit of armor, perfectly preserved, glimmering in the light of the exhibition lights. The armor of Imperius was breath-taking and there were many mysteries surrounding it. Research teams were still trying to figure out where its curious heat emanated from or how it had managed to maintain its appearance where many other additions were so rotted or worn. Sometimes even she felt as if there was something…watching her from within the darkened helm. 

A lot of employees had mention that feeling of being watched when within the room, either setting up or leading tour groups through. The armor of Imperius had only been there a few days and already seemed to be developing its own sort of ghost story. She glanced up as the announcement about the museums closing rang out and she muffled a sigh before she began to briskly make her way across the room. A few of the closing procedures at least could be done before the doors closed and locked for the night. She often did a walk through of all the exhibits to start gently herding visitors towards the door, politely reminding them that no one would be in the museum pass closing. It also gave her an excuse to give a final walk through of all the artifacts of human history kept within the winding, cavernous halls of the building she worked in as a curator. 

So much history with so many mysteries lost to time. She paused as ever in the hall that spoke of the darkened age. Collections of strange weapons and armor, artifacts that made no sense as to their use like the odd cube that seemed engraved with runes that were long since pitted and destroyed. There were even fragments of parchment and pieces of a cover that was once part of a larger book that some said wad penned by Tyrael. Some though speculated it some parts of the parchment were from an older book penned by a different author as the tone used was radically different between the two. Such speculations of sources always filled Aladria with excitement and as always, she paused to look over the two fragments, smiling to herself. 

One day, she promised herself, she would be the one to solve the mystery of those sources. One way or another she would eventually have to work herself out of the basement and into actual research, no longer merely a person explaining collections, but the one adding to it all. Wistful thinking perhaps, but a dream was a dream. Aladria let her hand trace over the glass of the exhibit gently before on, her attention back to trying to locate any stray guests.   
It had been a slow evening, typical for a weekday, and by the time she had made her round about the museum and back to the main foray just off to the side of the gift shop, she had only had to hurry along one or two stragglers for the evening. 

“All clear then?”

Aladria glanced over towards the gift shop where the clerk there, Eval, was busy carefully stocking the little plushes they sold of the ancient lords of evil. 

She smiled some as she entered the shop, letting her gaze run over the boxes of Mephistos, Baals, and Diablos, “All clear as far as I can tell. Still have to do the nephalite preserves room across the way in the special collection.”

“I see. Heh, we’ve been selling those new Imperius’ plushes by the dozen ever since that armor showed up,” Eval said, jerking his thumb to the display of angelic plushes made to resemble what was said of the Ageris Counsel, “And the poster too have been selling well.”

“I see. Pulls in some extra funds I suppose.”

Her gaze flitted about the gift shop, moving over the replicas of the legendary sword said to be used by Tyrael himself, El’Druin, to the various stuffed plushes, to the posters on the wall. There were even some more realistic figurines and statuettes that were behind counters to be purchased and little charm bracelets filled with angry little devil faces. All of their past, all the legends of a world lost to time, and here it all was, simply a marketing tool to draw in money. She idly wondered what their ancestors would have said about them defacing their ancient legends with such quick things to sell.   
“Been a rough night or something?”

Eval’s voice pulled Aladria from her musing and she turned towards him, blinking a bit before shaking her head, “Oh...oh no. Just a bit tired I suppose. I didn’t sleep a wink last night and I’ve been running around on double shift since Niva called off.”

“She called off again?” Eval scoffed, shaking his head, “How does she even keep a job?”

“Miracle of heaven I suppose.” Aladria chuckled, “I’m going to go see if the main drag is clear and then start closing duties. I’ll see you tomorrow Eval.”

“See you Ala,” he responded, giving a wave to her as she left, one of the Baal plushies in hand. 

The walk back to the nephalite preservation chamber took no time at all and by then, there wasn’t a soul about and the lights in some of the exhibit rooms had already been turned off as their overseeing curator for the evening had made sure everything was in order before leaving. The nephalite preservation room though still glimmered beautiful under the lights overhead and she let out a sigh, smiling as her eyes once more were drawn to the armor entrapped in the crystal.

“Another day of looking pretty, eh big guy?” She said fondly.

However the smile on her lips began to wane as her eyes picked up a glimmer on the floor before the crystal. She paused before moving forward, brow furrowed. At first, she thought it merely a fake shard of crystal that someone had gotten at the gift shop and then abandoned, but as she picked up the glimmering piece, she quickly realized it was anything but fake. Plastic didn’t have the strange shimmer to the surface nor traces of the caustic liquid that caused her now to drop the shard and clutch her hand.

The crystal shouldn’t be here but even as she stared at it, another, smaller piece fell beside it, causing Aladria to slowly lift her gaze upwards. Her eyes widen as she saw the slowly expanding crack in the surface of the crystal, the supposed jell-like interior now more a liquid oozing out. The crystal was not cracking form the outside no, but from the inside, yet her mind was trying to deny that fact. 

It was structural sound. It shouldn’t be cracking and the cracks shouldn’t be growing.

The armor inside shouldn’t be moving.

Her eyes widened more and she stumbled backwards as the armor of Imperius shifted ever so slightly. The fingers seemed to slowly bend, as if every movement was a struggle. More heat was starting to emanate from it as the front of the armor started to turn an angry shade of red. At the protrusions around the wings, small licks of flame seemed to be coming to light. Aladria had only begun to move towards the exit when the whole crystal gave a shudder before giving way with a deafening explosion, the force of which sent her off her feet. The only saving grace she had was she was thrown behind a display case which took the brunt force of scattered shards of nephalite and liquefied energy that was already burning holes in the carpet.

A loud thunk echoed in the room and the sound of moving armor had Aladria sitting up, trembling and eyes wide as she watched the armor of imperius slowly stand up, fire burning out of its back and what sounded like rattled breaths exiting the helmet. 

The curator had barely a moment to process the unbelievable event unfolding before her before the being in front of her turned its gaze to her. She blinked and in that instance, the armor was not a few feet away, but soon before her. A scream built in her throat as she tried to take a step back, only to gag as an armored hand closed forcefully about her neck and force her against the wall.

“Nephalim! You will explain yourself! Explain all of this!” 

The voice was commanding and spoke with the authority of someone who was not use to not getting their way. Aladria squirmed in his grip, gagging as she gripped at the unyielding forearm of her captor.   
Confusion and fear were clear in her expression although the being before seemed to not care for either, “Why did you free me now? What is this place you have detained me in?”

“I-I don’t….I don’t understand.” Aladria managed out, panting with each word, “Please…..please don’t kill me.”

Her words caused the being to tilt his head, regarding her. The silence seemed to stretch on for minutes although she knew it was only a few seconds. The grip upon her neck loosened slightly and for a moment, it seemed the armored figure was to speak again before the twang of bullets echoed in the room.

The figure abruptly dropped Aladria who fell to the floor, gasping, turning to regard the trembling security officer who had just shot at them, “Freeze! You-you have the right to remain silent whatever you are!”

“You dare to attack me, human? Do you not know who you are dealing with? Have you forgotten the archangel of valor so soon!?” 

Even as he roared, he held out his hand, a flash of light emanating before forming into a spear. The mighty archangel of valor moved towards the security guard who let out a scream, starting to fire wildly at the armored figure. The bullets did nothing to slow the march of valor, merely ricocheting off his armor. The guard only got off three shots before he was gurgling in surprise, one of the bullets having bounced off to catch him in the throat. He clawed uselessly at the wound spurting blood before falling to the floor dead at the feet of the archangel. 

Aladria felt hot terror build in her throat but no scream came forth as she watched Imperius nudge the corpse with the butt of his spear, a low angry hiss escaping him, “Pathetic….have the nephalim forgotten proper protection and weapons as well?”

The curator found her legs and without another word, fled from the room. 

Imperius though was not concerned about the nephalim, or rather human he was realizing. Both of these were humans, not the powerful nephalim he had known in his time. He stood there, confusion and anger boiling within him as he looked about the room, taking his spear in both hands. There were no wards in the room to keep him sealed. No means of feeding mana into the crystal prison he had been locked within for so long. In fact, what energy that had kept him contained seemed to be fading, dispersed into a realm that felt starved of energy once plentiful. He did not know why removing his prison from wherever it had been to here have caused it to destabilized, but after an eternity in darkness, he did not care why. For now, all that mattered was he was free to return to Heaven once more and find out what had transpired in his absence. He looked about the room and all around him were strange crystals, filled with the familiar forms of demons and men, but all of it looked ancient. This place did not seem like a prison, but more some museum or archive. That though mattered little to him. He needed to return to Heaven with all due haste.   
Imperius’s wings flared out, stretching and lighting up the room as he looked upwards to the impressive skylights that showed only the darkness of night. He would find no answers in this room. Not to mention the hellish shrieking of the alarm and the echoed cries of other humans coming that would no doubt try to take him on like the last unfortunate fool had were not troubles he wished to be bothered with.  
He surged upwards, a blazing figure of fire and blinding white smoke, crashing through the glass and into the cool night air.

Confusion was the first emotion to sing within his resonance as well as a tinge of lesser known feelings of shock and alarm. He had expected the darkness of sanctuary with its few pinpricks of torchlight to indicate a tiny oasis of civilization among twisted woodland and unforgiving wilds. He had expected stone homes and dirt roads that would turn into stone only at the advent of city gates. The world around him was anything but that. 

The night now surged with bright lights, brighter than even fire and all around were huge buildings that would rival the spires of heaven, all of them appearing carved out of glass and light. He rose higher, following up the edge of one of these towers, until he was high above it, floating above a place that seemed constructed out of pure diamonds to reflect the light and drive back the oppressive darkness of the world. Strange noises emanated from below, like low growls of a feral animal and he could make out strange vehicles racing and stopping, flashing red lights and piercing screeches no living creature could create. Even the air smelled different, not carrying the scent of death or pleasant nature, but of smoke and strange odors that caused the angel to snarl. 

The world was not how he had left it when he had fallen and been sealed away.

The archangel looked down to the building he had exited, a squat thing compared to the towering giants around it, and currently surrounded by those strange vehicles he saw, although these ones were flashing blue and red lights above them and letting out a most unholy wail. Humans were scattering out of them and into the building but that did not hold Imperius’s attention for long. 

There was a new sound in the air approaching fast, a strange sort of thumping noise and metallic whine that had him turning to behold a monstrous flying beast. It was metal, the top of it a spinning wheel of death more akin to the dune dervishes of Caldeum. Bright lights were at the front of it, moving about like they were glowing eyes and soon they alighted on Imperius, causing the archangel of valor to quickly move aside to avoid being hit by the mad beast.

He growled, taking his spear in both hands as the thing moved a few paces forward before making a wide arch to come back around towards him. Whatever beast this was, it flew awkwardly and rigidly despite being able to hover in midair, and was far from a true threat, but it seemed this beast was not going to let him go.

“So you wish a fight?” Imperius demanded, hunching his shoulders as the whirling beast came forward, “Then you will have it demon!”

He surged forward, dropping down just enough so he could keep his blade parallel to the thing’s body, easily sliding through the metal coating and straight down the center. Strange black liquid sprouted out and there was a scream of pain and a small shower of blood, making Imperius wonder if the thing had been truly alive. 

The dark liquid though quickly reacted to the heat of Imperius’s wings though, igniting and rushing up into the body of the metal monstrosity and causing it to explode. The shock wave sent Imperius back a few feet, but he did not fight the blast, instead using it to bolster his own speed as he swept quickly across the never-ending city of lights that seemed to stretch into the horizon. He could hear gasps and screams from below, shouts from humans as they pointed up in disbelief as he passed by overhead. All the gawking was starting to irritate Imperius. True, humanity had not seen angels often, they had an idea of what they were and didn’t act as if it was a strange thing to see an angel, especially after Tyrael had fallen and by his wisdom, Heaven had become more involved with the affairs of Sanctuary. 

Something about just how surprised they were did not sit well with the archangel of Valor and in a flash, he vanished, ascending further up, intent on returning to Heaven to demand to know how long he had been entrapped. He reappeared high above the clouds, stumbling some as it felt like he had ran right into a barrier of some sort. 

For a moment Imperius felt senseless before cursing and reaching out his resonance towards heaven and the arch, wondering why he had not been able to simply return home as he had once done. 

He felt nothing. His resonance hummed mightily with energy but he did not hear an answering echo from heaven nor any resonance at all. It all felt empty. Cold.

Alone.

Valor had never been afraid and even now, fear did not well up and grip him. Only a keen sense of alarm and confusion that gave way to a simmer of anger. He looked wildly about, hearing more thrums in the air that might indicate more of those metal monsters coming after him or perhaps something different. In either case, he could not linger here in the enormous city of humanity he hovered above. He needed to go somewhere secluded, to think, to try and figure out what was going on.

Imperius shifted his gaze from the empty starlit sky above to the distant loom of mountains upon the horizon and focused. In the blink of an eye he had vanished again, his resonance being through forward faster than light could keep up, and he reappeared just above the low dark mountains he had spied. He was quick to dive downwards, coming to rest in a clearing within the twisting branches of more wild woodland that at the very least felt familiar. 

The glow of his wings dimmed as he slammed his spear, point down into the dirt, shoulders hunching as his mind struggled to keep up with all that had happened in such a short time. He had awoken when he felt the energy of his prison began to fade. He had become aware of muffled voices and as he had regained vision, seen only distorted figures before him, of what appeared to be humans gawking at him before clearing out.

They spoke to him but he could not make out what they said. The energy continued to fade, as if drawn to something else in the room and then….then he had been able to finally break free and enter into a world unknown. He could not sense Heaven or the comforting swell of the arch’s song nor the songs of his brethren. He was painfully alone and that concerned him most of all and he could not fathom a reason why that was true. 

Imperius let out a low, agitated growl, slamming his spear into the ground again. Stubbornness and his ever present anger welled up hotter than ever and his gaze lifted. He vanished and reappeared, this time balancing himself precarious on the top of one of the trees as he gazed over the landscape. In the distance, the glow of the city could be seen, but even out here in the woods, far from that gleaming place of glass giants and roaring machines, he could make out pinpoints of lights. There were even strange black roads that seemed to wind about the land, although he saw no more of the strange vehicles. 

For a moment he regarded the scene before focusing on the nearest of the glowing dots that indicated a human dwelling. It was a faint, blueish hue but it was apart from the others, more isolated. With any luck, he could perhaps find some human to get answers from without being hassled by other humans. His wings flexed before he teleported closer, landing quietly within the branches of another tree. 

He eyed the squat house, wooden quiet clearly with one of the strange metal beasts parked out front, dead and quiet. The light came from a simple fixture above a structure with doors wide enough to hold the metal beast outside, although said doors were closed. A stable light of some sort perhaps?

There was a light in the window and he could make out the figure of a human, male it seemed, slumped out before some glowing light that was constantly changing. At the very least the human did not seem on his guard or expecting of any intrusion.

Imperius’s resonance hummed slightly, pleased at this as he carefully began to plan his next move. 

He would get his answers soon. Of that he was more than certain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And things are getting complicated and a mystery is afoot!


	4. A First Meeting

It was with little warning and fanfare that Imperius burst through the window of the human home he had decided to enter, landing heavily upon the floor and crunching the glass beneath his feet. Of course the mortal had let out a shriek of surprise and all but fell over himself but Imperius made no move to stop him. The archangel merely watched as the human male sat up on his couch, swearing profusely and then practically tripped over himself as he backed into a corner, holding some sort of black device in front of him like a sword. Imperius ignored the pitiful display as he raised his spear to point the tip at the trembling mortal.  
“You, human. I have questions that will be answered quickly or else I’ll see little reason in letting you draw breath further.” 

The human swallowed slowly, panic and shock not quite yet falling to fear and giving him some ability to give an answer to the archangel, “What…?”

“Do not make me repeat myself!” Imperius thundered, “ You will answer my questions now! What is this place? Where is it? What has happened to the eternal conflict? Were the prime evils defeated?” 

“I….I have no idea what you are talking about man. Look are you...okay?” the man managed out as he raised both hands up non-threateningly, dropping the remote, “Look, we can call the hospital and get you there if you are having some sort of delusional meltdown or something-”

Imperius snorted, stalking forward and moving to hoist the poor man back to his feet by the front of his shirt, “I have no need of your medical experts, mortal. I want answers as to what this world is!”

The man blinked, lifting a hand to brush black bangs out of his face as he dangled in Imperius’s grasp, eyes wide. The archangel for his part was at least not causing any bodily harm to the mortal at least, although he was not enjoying having to hunch over just to fit within the human dwelling. After a pause the human spoke again, tone trembling. 

“Okay. Okay. Just….I don’t even know who you are making all these demands. I personally think I’m losing my mind after mining nephalite for so many years and surprise I haven’t pissed myself in fear, so let’s just start there. Names. I’m Tevar Laramont. You?”

The archangel paused before letting out a grunt and releasing Tevar from his grip, “I am Imperius, archangel of valor.”

Tevar nodded as if he understood although the answer clearly only made him doubt his own senses from the patient, half-smile he wore that hid how close to a meltdown he truly was. It only made Imperius more irritated that he was taking so long to answer a few, what he saw as simple questions. 

“Okay Imperius so uh, your question. What is this place? Do you mean the country or the world as a whole?”

“Both.”

Tevar gave another nod as he slowly moved to pull out his cigarettes with shaking hands, “All right. Well, the world is Sanctuary and we are in the nation of-”

“This is not Sanctuary!” Imperius interrupted angrily, “There are bizzare cities and strange contraptions as far as the eye can see! Where is the wars of the past? The Nephalim? Your strange magics and all manner of foul beasts?”

“I don’t- what year was it when you were here last?” Tevar asked, starting to light up a smoke moving to collapse back into a chair, his nerves starting to fail him. 

“The year was 1288.” Imperius paused before slowly posing his next question, “What year is it now?”

“5328...” Tevar murmured, staring at the being before him. “You are kidding right?”

“You dare imply I would kid about such a matter?” Imperius angrily demanded. “What I cannot fathom is why you dare lie to me, mortal! 5328? I have not been sealed away for the last four thousand years!”

“I swear it is! Just...do you want to use my computer? Just look things up? I fucking swear I have no idea what is going on here! Why the fuck would I even want to lie to you?! You got a fucking spear in my face and are probably going to splatter me across the wall!” 

Imperius could see the pinpricks of tears in the corner of Tevar’s eyes as his cigarette wobbled between his lips. Not to mention the fear that was sweeping off the man and he knew that he would get nowhere just shouting at the human. At the very least, the sincere fear reaction meant he truly believed the words he spoke. The archangel sighed, shaking his head as he hunched his shoulders. 

“Your computer?” Imperius asked, his tone skeptical, “What is that? A scrying device of some sort?”

“Ah yeah….I guess? I mean, you can look some things up on it sort of?” 

Tevar looked over to the aged desktop off to the side and then back to Imperius, eyeing how large the archangel was in relation to the machine, “Well, on second thought, you talk, I’ll type and we see where that goes.”

The poor man was trembling like a leaf as he rose to his feet and carefully made his way to the desktop. He kept his hands held up and moving slowly as if waiting for Imperius to leap upon him. The archangel, for his part, remained where he stood, following Tevar’s movement with a heated glare, expecting some foul magic or witchery to be used by the mortal. Eventually Tevar collapsed into the chair and looked over to the archangel.

“So… what am I looking up first?”

“I want to know what has become of Heaven. Why are the gates sealed?” Imperius demanded as he moved over, one hand coming down hard on the back of the office chair Trevar had sunk into. 

The man jumped some, looking up, “Uh, I’ll see if the internet has anything about that…”

Imperius looked skeptically at the strange box the man was sitting in front of and was more or less sure that such a device wasn’t about to give him any answers that were any good. Even if it was some sort of artifact used for scrying, Heaven was able to hide from such attempts and it was only those few strange humans that could peer into the future that seemed able to see into Heaven at all.

The man shifted to sit forward then, fingers moving over the keys of the computer as he glanced up towards Imperius, “So... why the rush to get into Heaven?”

“To find out what has happened. To find out why no one came for me for so long if what you say is true,” Imperius growled, as he hunched forward. “I want to know what in the hells is going on!”

Tevar sighed with a fleeting look towards the archangel, before flicking his gaze back to the computer, fingers tense on the keys, “Okay then…. You sure you don’t want me to locate a hospital?”

“I am not unwell human and you are becoming more and more a nuisance with your insistent that I am!” Imperius snarled, slamming the large spear he had mere inches away from where Tevar sat, “One more time and whatever sliver of patience I have for your misbegotten race will be bled out with your life blood!”

There was real anger in the tone of Imperius, enough to make Tevar shudder as he hunched over the keyboard, “Okay okay. What am I looking for.”

“What has happened to Heaven!” Imperius thundered, gripping the back of the office chair tightly, “How many times must I repeat myself!?”

The dark-haired man sighed as he typed out the question verbatim, squinting at the results that came up, “Nothing is really coming up….just religious shit. Nothing about where it is or the hours of operation.”

“Your scrying tool is rather awful,” Imperius growled not catching the snide sarcasm the mortal had dared to use, “Have you no font of knowledge? No scholars? No blasted Horadrim to outline your history?”

“Well, I mean if you want history, might as well just waltz your metal ass into a museum and yell at them rather than some random guy who lives in the woods to avoid what is going on in the world,” Tevar snapped, slouching in his chair, “I’m sure there is more information in Westmarin City.”

“I came from the city and there were only metal beasts in the sky and ones moving about the ground.” Imperius paused before adding with undisguised disgust, “And far too many humans than I wish to acknowledge.”

“You mean cars?”

Imperius’s gaze snapped down to Tevar, a flush of heat rising up his chest, “What do you mean, cars?”

“The metal things on the ground. Do you mean cars? Like what I have outside?”

Imperius turned to follow his gaze to the large metal contraption that sat outside and he gave a slow nod, “Yes. Like that. But alive. Yours appears dead.”

Tevar couldn’t help a faint smile and a small shrug, “I just haven’t turned it on is all. I got keys. How about...you and I just take a ride into the city and to the nearest museum eh?”

Imperius eyed the mortal, not trusting for a moment the man’s words. Especially with how Tevar was avoiding eye contact and his entire body language was entirely too tense. He may not be around mortals often, but in the time spent in their company, Imperius knew the signs of someone trying to lie about intent. However, the only other option was to keep going from human to human looking for information or a scholar and no doubt have them react the same way. For now, trust or no, he would play nice with this mortal until he did something worthy of being eliminated. 

“Are there Horadrim scholars?” Imperius demanded, “For all their foulness, those followers of Tyrael, his precious little soldiers, would know best what has happened to this world in my absence.”

“I have no idea what a Horadrim is, unless it is like that group of superheroes on TV that fight evil they made like ten years ago? I think that was the fighting Horadrim Heroes or something…” 

The archangel’s wings unfurled as he let out a growl, “That does not sound correct. I would use your scrying device again and see if it gives answers.”

Tevar shook his head but did as asked, falling silent as he typed. In the quiet, Imperius regarded the man before him. To him, Tevar was a slight human with a somewhat muscular build. If it had been another time or place, he would hazard a guess he was some descendant of the damnable demon hunter. He had the same lanky build at the very least. Of all the nephelem, the demon hunters had been one of the slightly more tolerable ones. Slightly. Better than the damnable wizard harlot that had blasted him in battle on accident. 

That thought had him letting out a slow huff and feeling a flutter of anger burn up again. Once he found that wizard he was going to break her neck that was for certain.

“Not finding anything but old wizard clans and ancient myths. A couple of companies…but nothing that seems like scholars.” Tevar finally said, glancing at Imperius.

The archangel growled, pausing a moment to think before reaching to the computer and tapping the screen, “I was confined in some place where there were scholars. I wish to return to it. A place of grand halls and crystals. All on display it seemed.”

“Uh, there are a lot of places like that. Can you be less vague?” Tevar asked, hunching his shoulders some.

“A large room! Within the heart of the city among the spires of glass!” Imperius snapped, “I burst from it earlier this evening!”

“Well I’ll just look up strange explosions in the middle of the city!” Tevar retorted as he began to angrily type out the inquiry, not expecting anything to show up for a second, “Let’s see what hits wh-”

His own angry tirade fell flat as his eyes widened. The news feed online was blowing up with reports of some explosion erupting from the museum. There was a dangerous release of Nephalite fluid and it appeared some suit of priceless armor had been stolen from one of the exhibits. There were reports of a “star” that had erupted from the room and fled across the night sky although some were claiming it was nothing but nephalite shrapnel that got thrown about. 

“Yes, that is the place!” Imperius thundered, tapping the screen again, “That is where I must go. Where is it?”

“Look, I don’t think going back there is a good idea. They got cops and shit swarming there and they seem to be looking for….a suit of armor.” Trevar looked at his companion, his mind already starting to grow suspicious that now he was dealing with someone who was quiet unhinged and had stolen ancient armor somehow. 

“But it was there that I saw what might be a scholar!” Imperius reported, “Her name was...Aladaria! Yes, that is what the tag upon her bosom said.”

Trevar frowned as he typed in the name, doing a quick search. Adding the name of the museum to it at least narrowed the search to some lonely curator at the aforementioned museum. The news was focusing on her having been in the area when the explosion had occurred and she had been treated for minor burns but was otherwise okay and had been allowed to return home.

Imperius was once more tapping the screen at the sight of her picture, “That is her! The one scholar I saw. She will have answers. You will give me instructions to locate her. Now.”

“How about I just...drive you there? I’m telling you now, showing up and just banging in her door will just make the situation worse and uh… if they are looking for you, you want to keep a low profile yeah?” 

For his part, the archangel of Valor did not trust Tevar. Humans in general were not to be trusted given their ability to have a choice between good and evil. Not to mention he had seen far too many times where human concern and sense of misplaced righteousness had led to evil gaining more a foothold upon the land. At the same time though, the argument this human, Tevar, had laid out made sense. 

Metal demons had been sent after him after his escape from his confinement and he doubt they had left. As it were, it might be for the best to have a bit of discretion, especially when he was more than aware of how painfully alone he was. Still, he was not about to leap so blindly to trusting the human. Imperius raised his spear and brought the tip forward to tickle at the throat of the human, wings flaring some before they cooled, tucking in close so their brilliance was hidden somewhat.

“Know this human, if I sense even the barest hint of deceit, I will not hesitate to take your head from your shoulders.” He warned, tone growing dangerously cold, “I follow this plan only because it furthers my own interests. Whether you should benefit or not I could care less.”

“Dully noted.”

Tevar tried to sound brave but his tone wavered with the dangerous weapon at his throat and he was quick to take a few steps back before moving around Imperius and into his kitchen to hastily look for his keys. Imperius followed after him and for how dramatic an entrance he made breaking through the window and for how bulky his form was, the archangel was quiet nimble, starting to poke about the kitchen with some passing interest. Honestly he was trying not to appear as curious as he was for all the strange new devices the human had about the room. His spear tapped against a few of the hanging pots before he paused before the fridge. There was a moment of pause before he pulled open the door gently, staring at the trove of food within.

“You have enchanted items with cold spells to preserve food?” Imperius asked, shutting the door of the refrigerator, “A clever use I suppose.”

“Ah, sure. Magic ice spells. Because that is a thing,” Tevar murmured, finally snatching his car keys from where he had left them among a pile of junkmail upon the counter, “You know us and that magic. Magic everywhere and all.”

“IS there? I have not felt the wretched laces of energy that once made up this land. It has felt oddly barren.” Imperius responded, not picking up on the sarcasm of Tevar’s hushed murmurings, “I sense that this could be the work of Hell.”

Tevar gave Imperius a skeptical look and shook his head, clearly not believing the archangel’s words, “Well, ready to head out. Uh, I think you can just take the whole backseat….given your size.”

He eyed Imperius and wondered if even his truck would be able to accommodate Imperius at all. He paused a moment to look at his broken window, sighing and heading out the door, the archangel falling hot on his heels. 

A press to the unlock button had his truck letting out a beep, the front lights flashing causing Imperius to tense some and pause. The tension in his body did not speak of fear but of a severe mistrust for the vehicle. Tevar only sighed again, moving to open the back door for his unwanted guest before moving to open the cab door and crawl in, “Just settle in the back there. I swear it isn’t going to hurt you or some shit.”

Imperius snorted, “I can tell that.” He retorted as he drew closer, “So it is merely some sort of contraption used for transportation then?”

“Yeah. Just for getting places fast. We will be in the city within the hour.” Tevar explained, putting the key into the ignition.

“That is fast?” Imperius scoffed, “Perhaps faster than thine ancestors, but that is no time at all for an angel to fly, let alone an archangel.”

“Yes well, they haven’t gotten the hang of flying cars just yet,” Tevar drawled sarcastically as the engine revved to life, “You getting in or not?”

Imperius paused, once more weighting his options before letting out a frustrated growl and moving to climb up into the truck. His entire bulk seemed to lessen seamlessly as he slid in and Tevar did a slight double-take as he had at least expected Imperius to struggle to fit his shoulders through and was prepared to have a good laugh about it. Instead, the archangel sat comfortably in the back, arms crossed over his broad chest and his spear nowhere in sight.

“Advert your eyes, mortal and get this beast moving. I want to get going as soon as possible.”

Tevar snapped back to reality, giving a duck of his head as he cleared his throat, “Yeah. Sure.”

He set the truck into reverse and carefully backed out of gravel driveway and back onto the main road, murmuring a quiet prayer to whatever deity he believed in to guide him. With that prayer in mind, he threw his vehicle into drive and was off down the winding mountain roads, onward to the next destination. Imperius could only hope that soon, answers would be coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Imperius has made a "friend" and going off to make more "friends"!


	5. Misunderstandings

A handful of minutes had passed and already, the silence was growing oppressive within the cab of the truck. Imperius had not moved an inch during that time, content to keep his angry glare onto the back of Tevar’s head. The mortal clearly did not appreciate the constant attention as he was glancing up once and a while nervously to look into the rear view mirror, clearly as on edge as Imperius himself. Eventually Tevar cleared his throat and fumbled with one of the nobs on the dash of his truck.  
“Just going to put on some music to pass the time if that’s okay?”

“What sort of music can you summon out here? There are no instruments,” Imperius growled. 

“We have….well, magic waves of sound that we throw around and pick up with magic sticks,” Tevar began to explain, turning on the radio and fiddling with the dial, “Just more magic.”

“That does not sound like any magic I have heard of,” Imperius growled, “Is it truly magic or is it some new form of technology?”

Tevar gave a shrug, settling the dial on some pop music channel, “I guess a bit of both depending on how you look at things.”

Imperius snorted, falling silent for a bit before he leaned forward, reaching for the nob, “So this is what morals claim is music? It is not impressive.”

“Well we can’t all listen to monk chants and religious hymns.” Trevar grumbled, idly glancing to his companion as he watched Imperius slowly start to fiddle with the dial. 

“Trust me, I do not find the chants of monks or templars that melodic, “Imperius growled, “But I will admit the war ballads of the Barbarians were at least entertaining.”

The archangel fiddled with the dial some before landing on a station playing heavy metal which caused Imperius to pause. He tilted his head to the metallic screeches of guitars and the screaming bellows of the lead singer before he slowly sat back, nodding as he crossed his arms over his chest, “This is acceptable.”

“You know, I wouldn’t have taken someone claiming to be an archangel to have a taste for heavy metal. You know, with all the devil symbolism and angry rage death,” Tevar pointed out, glancing at Imperius briefly in his rear-view mirror.

“The rumble of it soothes my resonance somewhat. More so than the other music you had playing,” Imperius retorted, slouching back, “How long until we are there?”

Tevar sighed, hunching his shoulders as he kept his gaze on the road ahead, “still nearly an hour to go. We just got off the mountain roads and onto some of the busier avenues. From here, we still need to get on the big highway and get on the main drag into the city. Hopefully before rush hour.”

The only response was a dismissive snort as Imperius simply let the music envelop his resonance some, letting his thoughts drift away and muse over all that had occurred. He had not really had time to simply sit and think about his options, not with the constant shock and confusion still gnawing away. At least now he was moving in a direction that had the possibility to give him some sort of answer and relief. 

If this man was to be believed though, a long time had passed since he had fallen. No doubt Tyrael at least was long dead given his new mortal state of being last they saw each other. However the other archangels of heaven, they should be alive still. Auriel and Ithereal could not have fallen too, could they? That thought brought a troubled timber to the resonance of the archangel of valor as concern for the last two members of the counsel welled up in him. If he could just account for their safety and the safety of his shinning Heaven than that would be enough to at least put a bit of his soul at ease.

His gaze turned away from the human driving and towards the window and the world rushing pass. Here, there were more homes, all tucked into little neighborhoods with bright lights for larger buildings popping up along the roadways. More cars were appearing now, their lights glowing in the dark in an attempt to banish it in part away. The world was filled with far more lights at night, which made Imperius wondered if humans even still feared things that could lurk out of sight. 

His gaze slide over every new thing, every sign and strange monument to a new age as they passed by. Nothing seemed familiar. Yet he didn’t feel fear at that, more just wanting to understand what it all was and frustration at feeling so helpless and out of sorts with this new age. The car began to slow down as a red light flashed ahead and Imperius growled some, looking at the driver.

“Why are we stopping?”

“Red light. Traffic rules and stuff. We are only delayed a moment and then we’ll be back to putzing along, don’t you worry,” Trevar assured, glancing back some, “Maybe try and catch a few moments of shut eye. It is a long trip.”

“My kind don’t sleep.” Imperius snapped, “And even if I wished to take rest, I’ll do so once we have arrived at the address of this curator.”

“Fine fine, just...we have to make a quick stop is all. I sort of got her position, just need another piece of detail to put it together. You know, like a puzzle.” Tevar quickly said, eyes back on the road as the light turned green, “Just want to get the right information yes?”

“Very well, but it should not be a long stop. I’ve been delayed enough as is.” 

“Impatient, aren’t we?” Tevar murmured, giving a small shake of his head. 

His words though went unanswered by Imperius, the archangel returning to gazing out the window, taking in the strange scenery of this new world. He didn’t want to be interested in it but with nothing better to do than watch the strange signs and vehicle pass by, that tremor of curiosity began to echo in his resonance. These humans….he was surprise to see them and to see such weakness in them. The nephalim were to return. That had been what was more or less accepted during his time. With the worldstone gone, their powers would return and swell and eventually surpass Heaven and Hell. He should be seeing great shows of power and feel it resonating in the air more terrible than before. Here though he did not feel that power and whatever taint or blessing was in their blood, it seemed to have long since ebbed out.   
Although, that wasn’t entirely the case.   
The archangel’s gaze inclined somewhat towards Tevar, his senses reaching out carefully. In this one, he sensed a greater deal of energy, although it seemed rather sedated, sitting with Tevar like a lump of unformed metal. 

There was potential yes, but it seemed nothing had been stimulated to give shape to that power. 

“Do you practice magic?” Imperius finally asked begrudgingly, cursing his own curiosity. 

“What? No. Magic isn’t real.” Tevar grumbled with a shake of his head, “That’s all fairy tale and folklore and all that shit. Technology is the only ‘magic’ that is around.”

Imperius huffed, “It was your birthright, despite how much it sickens me to say that.” He growled, turning his attention back out the window as he watched a large strip of shopping malls whiz passed, “What do you use to defend yourselves from demon attacks then? I see no markets for armor or weapons.”

“No such thing as demons either so guess no need for ye old weaponry. Only people who claim to see demons are the neighborhood crackpots.” Tevar grumbled, “Look, you are talking a lot of nonsense and you can get upset and huffy about it, but it isn’t going to make me suddenly believe in what you are saying.”

“Oh really?” Imperius drawled, turning to regard his companion once more, “So how would you explain me, human?”

Trevar fell silent at that for a moment scowling as he clutched the wheel of his car, “Either a really good cosplayer, some sort of cyborg, or a really good delusion.”

Imperius snorted, only understanding one of the three options, but more or less presuming the other two were as stupid a reason as the last. Humans really seemed to relish in deluding themselves to what was presented before them. He could only assume such a thing was a result of their crude, stupid demonic ancestors as no angel in heaven would be so stubborn or in denial!

The rest of the trip fell into silence as Imperius did not wish to trade more words with the dull-witted human and Tevar seemed fine with the silence punctuated by the music screaming in through the radio. Yet even after a while of that, Tevar was fiddling with the radio and changing it to another station. Imperius merely snorted when it came to a station he found grating upon his resonance, a sound which prompted Tevar at least to continue channel surfacing until it settled on something they both would find agreeable for a while.   
None of that though dispelled the tension that only seemed to grow in the truck as they drew closer and closer to the city once more. The road widened and more vehicles were on the road, rushing about headlong in a blur. The small squat buildings began to grow taller and more crowded and with the light of dawn starting to dance its fingertips along the horizon, the whole place seemed to be awakening from a deep slumber. Imperius hunched closer to the window, one hand pressed to the glass as he stared at all of that. This place was strange but almost...familiar. In a way, it reminded him of the spires of Heaven and the sprawling networks of orderly causeways. If he hadn’t known better, he would have said the architects of Heaven itself might have had a hand in planning this city.   
There was beauty, perhaps just a bit, but it did not cover the grim he could detect or the pulse of decay that emanated from the more forgotten parts of the city they passed with bright graffiti emblazoned on the side of buildings. The archangel felt his wings practically prickle as he picked up on the foul scent of corruption that seemed to be growing in the air. Perhaps humans could not detect such evil, whatever mixing of their blood seemed to have dulled such a sense, but to Imperius, it was as obvious as a foul smell and he was soon looking about the city, not to saturate any sort of curiosity, but trying to locate the ancient enemy he knew was about. 

Every beggar they passed, every businessman early to work, every woman of the night starting to creep away from her corner, every single one they passed, Imperius was focused on as quickly as he could, wanting to try and peel back the masks and peer right into the souls and reveal the hellspawns that might creep below. His shoulders were tense and his wings flickered, blazing just a bit more about his back in sudden agitation. 

Imperius’s sudden unrest was not lost on Tevar, who glanced up at the archangel from his rear view mirror, “What’s up? See something you don’t like?”

“I feel them. Their dark tainted energies, twisting and writhing in the streets,” Imperius snarled, fingers curling into a fist against the glass, “I can practically taste them. You said there were no demons but they infest this whole place!”

“Yeah, pretty sure you are just sensing lawyers, corporate assholes, and politicians,” Tevar responded, grinning cheekily and chuckling at his own joke, although his laughter quickly died when he noted the look Imperius was giving him, “What?” 

“I don’t see why that is amusing.” Impierus stated flatly. 

Tevar sighed, “Just...people often think those jobs are full of untrustworthy sorts that are heartless and only care about themselves is all. Sort of like demons?”

Imperius snorted, looking back out the window with the posture of an attack dog just wanting to get out of his cage and rip into whatever threat he noticed, “You humans make no sense in your choices of professions or people you trust in such positions.”

Tevar sighed, falling silent once more as his gaze flicked upwards, although is expression lifted just a bit as they drew closer to a somewhat large and ornate building with lines of the matching black and white cars along the side. From the bars on the window, Imperius surmised it was a place of local law enforcement of some sort or perhaps a prison which didn’t ‘t seem like a place to go that would have information about others as far as he was concerned. Something was wrong in the air and the archangel turned his attention to Tevar as the mortal parked beside the building, shutting off the engine.

“This place is evil. It reeks of demonic taint.”

“Maybe just all the prisoners locked away inside. Probably plenty of fucked up individuals knocking about in there,” Tevar gave a small shrug as he slipped out, “Either way, it is the only place to go for information.”

Imperius let out a small growl of annoyance, moving to open his own door, “It is not the prisoners. I can keenly feel their wickedness, but it pales in comparison to something born in corruption and evil, bred for it…” 

Tevar quick moved over to put his hands up, gently trying to herd Imperius back into the vehicle, “Just stay here okay? Evil demon cops or not, we don’t want to start-“

“What is going on here?”

Tevar tensed at the demanding tone of the officer who had just stepped out of the station, eyeing the both of them with obvious animosity and suspicion. Imperius though had no such qualms, having not the capacity for feeling fear as he pushed his way out of the car, wings already spreading wide. The officer didn’t even wait for a response to his question before he was radioing in with one hand, the other pulling out his gun.

“Put your hands up! Both of you! On the ground!”

“What but I’m not-!” 

“On the ground now!”

Tevar winced, moving to get on his knees, hands behind his head, not wanting any trouble. Imperius though only snarled, lowering his spear at the officer, “I do not take orders from demon spawn. Do not think that I cannot see through your deception to what you truly are.”

The officer sneered and Tevar felt a sense of unease at the expression, feeling that maybe it was just a little too wide for his face. 

“On the ground now or I’ll shoot! Dispatch, I need more officers out here. I have the suspect for the museum robbery standing in the parking lot with an accomplice.”

“Look, officer, I’m not really with him! I was just bringing him here so we can sort this out as I think he’s-“

“You brought me here willingly to hand me over to the enemy?” Imperius’s furiously interjected, attention briefly going to Tevar.

“I mean! It isn’t a den of evil and you need help and-“

“Both of you have the right to remain silent!” 

Tevar looked helplessly between the two as Imperius rounded on him, hoisting him to his feet with no care for the officer brandishing his weapon, “You planned to betray me! I needed help yes, but this is not help!”

“I’m sorry! I have no fucking idea-“

“Both of you shut up or I’ll shoot!”

By then, more officers were pouring out and a glance told Tevar that SWAT was now involved making him let out a groan, going limp in Imperius’s grip, “Doesn’t matter now, does it? They are arresting both of us now!”

Imperius glowered some at the human in his grip and then up to those pouring out and crowding around them now, all armed to the teeth. The archangel of Valor scoffed before dropping Tevar to the ground, “Get back to your vehicle, human. I will handle these demon spawns.”

Tevar hit the ground hard, wincing, gawking up at the archangel as he stepped forward to the gathering of police, “Are you mad?! You can’t possibly-“

“Oh you have no idea what I can do against such weak demons.” Imperius raised his voice then, lifting his spear high, letting the blade point towards the police and SWAT before them, “Know this hellspawn! The ages may have passed, but my power has not waned! All shall perish this day!”

In a flash of light he vanished, cries of alarm rippling through the crowd and Tevar heard something more guttural in the cries before suddenly Imperius was back, a wave of energy ripping forward and engulfing the whole crowd. Inhuman shrieks and howls echoed and Trevar’s eyes widened as many of the men and women in the crowd suddenly seemed to morph, their bodies stretching into inhuman shapes, fangs and claws where they shouldn’t be. Even within the destruction though, other officers still stood, as untouched by the fury as Tevar himself. 

The archangel of Valor slammed the butt of his spear against the ground, ignoring the cries of horror from the survivors as they looked upon the twisted corpses that were once known companions, now revealed for what they had truly been. Tevar was trembling, feeling the feeble excuses for what Imperius was start to fall apart. 

“Fucking shit…those are…demons are…” 

Imperius ignored Tevar’s babbling, moving over to haul him back to his feet and push him towards the truck, “Get this contraption moving. We are not lingering here. We must locate that woman. If she knows anything, surely the forces of Hell will be out to take her sooner now rather than later.”

Tevar blankly stared up at Imperius, but put up no resistance to being pushed forward. He paused though at the door to his trunk, starting through the window into the cab before suddenly snapping to life once more, starting to yank the door of his truck open, “Disable all those other vehicles or they will be riding our ass from here until we get the hell out of here!”

Imperius snorted, shoulders tensed but complied with the request, bringing his spear butt down hard against the ground. The force of it sent a shockwave out, sending the patrol cars flying and crashing back down. Tevar gawked, feeling both a sense of awe at the demonstration of power and the terrifying realization that all this time, Imperius had been telling the truth.   
“There is a fucking archangel in my car. And I tried to turn him into the police as a crazy man.” Tevar murmured out loud to himself as Imperius slid into the car. 

He was more than aware of the anger boiling off Imperius, even more so when the archangel gripped the back of his seat as he leaned forward. 

“Now tell me, why should I trust you now, human?” Imperius growled, “How will I trust you will get us to this scholar I want to see? Why shouldn’t I take your life and claim this contraception for myself to use?”

“For one thing? I saw the demon cops. I’m now officially dragged even more into your shit that the only way out at this point is selling my soul to demons and let me tell you what, I ain’t that fucking stupid,” Tevar retorted, throwing his truck into reverse before powering the vehicle forward and out into the street, tires screeching, “And two? Two now I’m in danger of getting my ass eaten by demons and you seem more than capable of roasting their shit so I’m sticking with you. And finally three? I really don’t think you know how to drive and not end up wrapping yourself around a tree.”

Imperius snorted, leaning back some and seemed somewhat sated with that answer, “Cross me again, and I leave you for dead. You are lucky that you know how to handle this contraption and your ineptitude is painfully obvious as is your stupidity.” He paused, tilting his head a tad, “That and I do not wish to have to engage with anymore of your wretched kind.”

“Do you what, hate humans or something?” 

“You are foul abominations born of angels and devils. I’ve wanted your kind dead for generations, but now I have little choice than to consult with your kind to discover what has become of Heaven,” Imperius growled back, crossing his arms. “Now get us to this woman. You can locate her yes?”

“Uh, yeah just…I wrote down the address somewhere,” Tevar murmured, starting to fish around in his pocket before pulling out the crumpled sticky note, “Just gotta put it here in the GPS…..”

Imperius let out a frustrated sigh, snatching the paper and examining the words, “Where is this place in relation to where we are now?” He demanded. 

“That’s in Tristburg… which is north of-no. North east of here! Pass the river. Just, I can just put it in and if we are lucky we can get out of the city before-“

“Not enough time. I will get us there. Hold on to me.”

Trevar looked incredulously at the archangel of valor, but did not question the orders as he reached up to put a hand onto the massive wrist now gripping the seat of his car, the other hand stanind on the wheel. He swallowed hard as Imperius started to heat up, a surge of power moving through him and then in a flash, the city vanished. A moment later, the car crashed back down on the road, tires screeching as Tevar cursed to get control of the vehicle as they touched down, nearly swerving into the other lane. He was just grateful that they had landed on an empty stretch of road, wherever it was Imperius had dropped them. His heart was in his throat as he pulled off to the side of the road, trembling ad he slumped into his seat. 

“The fuck was that about!? A little warning before you pull crazy Heaven magic yes?” 

“We are safe and out of the city. Now you can better locate this woman. We should be close to this Tristburg place…” 

Trevar sighed, glowering at Imperius who clearly didn’t care about his distress. The archangel didn’t even seemed phased but then again, the archangel of valor was not about to express fear about anything he did, that much was for certain. 

The dark-haired man sighed, running a hand through his hair as he took back the piece of paper and started to plug into the address slowly, “Why do we need this curator anyways? I mean, we should be going into hiding or something. Building a bunker for the legions of Hell probably on our asses.”

“I need information. This world has changed and who knows if the legions still exist or it is only a few,” Imperius paused though, crossing his arms, “But it is concerning that those you ask to protect the law were so heavily infested by the vermin…”

“Yeah. Well. Probably a lot more out if just some there. Maybe some conspiracy shit.” Tevar grumbled, sitting back as the GPS began to calculate the route to take, “You think this lady…er…scholar is in trouble?”

“If they believe I’m seeking her out, then she may be yes.” Imperius tensed as the GPS began to talk, his gaze turning to the screen, “Is this vehicle sentient?”

Tevar blinked before shaking his head quickly, “No. No just the GPS has a recorded voice to help guide is all.”

“Ah…so it is like an angel of faith’s scribe crystal then.” Imeprius murmured, nodding. “Very well, let it lead us to our destiny.”

“You know, when you talk about a GPS like that, you make it sound like we are about to go on some epic quest,” Tevar murmured, starting to pull the truck back onto the road, following the route, “And you are lucky your transportation spell didn’t drop us in a lake or something.”

Imperius let out an indignant snort, sitting back in his seat, “I imagined a road while performing it. I needed a direction and landmark and I remember this road from your computer. So here we are. Now stop complaining. Your voice is growing tiresome and I have not yet forgiven you for your betrayal and am still weighing my options in removing your head from your shoulders.”

Tevar swallowed hard as he hunched over the wheel, “Hey, I’m on your side one-hundred percent now. Do you want to lose your free chauffeur? I’m driving you around for no cost. My house is your house. You can raid my fridge for snacks all you want, just as long as when a demon comes by, you handing it.”

“You can kill it as well. Your ancestors used to do so. You have a weapon yes?” Imperius drawled, glancing to Tevar. 

“A gun, but who knows what that will do,” He paused, letting out a nervous laugh, “Maybe teach me some magic eh?”

Imperius was silent for a long while. There was potential in Tevar yes, potential for nephalim-like abilities perhaps, but at the same time, he was loathed to allow that power to fester. Then again, if heaven was gone and he was the last angel, what choice was there in fighting against hell than to work with these miserable creatures he loathed so much? 

“If I can regain access to heaven then perhaps I will. If you can prove you are worthy of my time,” Imperius finally growled out, turning his head to look out the window.

Tevar merely nodded, getting the sense that Imperius was no longer in the mood to share words. He let out a soft sigh, eyes glancing to the GPS and then back to the road as sunlight spilled more over the land. 

The GPS chimed that it would be fourteen minutes until they reached their destination. Imperius merely sunk back more, stewing in his own anger and thoughts as he turned to watch the sunrise. Perhaps in fourteen minutes he would finally have his answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tevar is just lucky he is the only human Imperius wants to deal with currently and it is painfully obvious he is in over his head XD Fun chapter to write to be honest c:


	6. A Recruited Scholar

The building that this scholar lived in was far different than the ones Imperius had thus far entered. It was not squat like the home of Tevar nor tall and elegant like those buildings in the heart of the city they had passed through, but was a rather ugly looking brown structure tucked away between a grove of spindly looking trees that made up a strip of woodland, and some sort of building that was proudly proclaimed it was a rehab facility.

The archangel had no idea what a rehab facility was and when asked, Tevar was quick to explain under his breath it wasn’t all that important to know about. That was a point, at least, in which the archangel did not feel a need to pry further about. Especially when there was a more pressing matter in which he found himself in protest about. He had not wanted to use the front of the building and take the elevator up to where the scholar lived and knock politely on the front door. He would have much rather preferred to use the window of the apartment and be in and out quickly but the human insisted doing that might cause her distress and they needed a lighter touch about such things and it was great reluctance and frustration that he did as Tevar wished.

However, he didn’t see the point of avoiding distress when as soon as the door opened, the woman all but fell backwards onto her floor in a dead faint before a word was said.

“We should have done things my way and not wasted time with that elevator.” Imperius growled as he sat upon her couch and watched Tevar attempt to revive her. “She would have fainted either way.”

“Yes well then we would have had her passed out and the cops being called for someone busting into an eighth story window and last I checked, we are already in enough shit with the hell cops,” Tevar snapped from where he was crouched over her, pressing a cold compress to her forehead. “You must have really made a heck of an impression on her for her to faint!”

Imperius did not respond, crossing his arms defensively. He was not about to admit to the threat he made towards her at their first encounter or the fact that she had watched another human die from their own foolishness in trying to attack him. He already knew that certain things seemed to set humans off on an emotional tirade. 

In some ways, Tevar reminded Imperius, irritatingly so, of how Tyrael had begun to react to things. 

His thoughts were pulled away from memories of his once comrade and to the woman on the floor as she groaned, eyes fluttering open slowly. Tevar offered an awkward smile, sitting back with his hands up to appear as non-threatening as possible, “So uh. Hello there. My name is Tevar and uh….I’m here with …the archangel Imperius who has wanted to see you again for uh, scholarly reasons.”

As soon as he had spoken, Aladria sat up quickly, looking over at the archangel and let out a scream. Tevar jumped back, wincing some as he helplessly looked between Imperius and Aladria. For his part, Imperius didn’t immediately speak up or yell at her. He just sat, watching her, shoulders tensing more and his armor slowly taking on an orange tinge of irritation.

The scream died down quickly at least and she was left trembling, eyes wide before looking back to Tevar, “Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Not-it can’t be-Is that….is that thing real!?”

“This thing is very much real and if you call me a thing again, mortal, I will rethink letting you live,” Imperius growled, “You are a scholar and thus I wish to…consult you on the history of things to find out what has become of Heaven.”

The woman blinked, sitting up if only to scuttle backwards against the wall as if it could offer any support in this situation. The terror radiating off of her would have made Diablo himself puff up in pride, but it only served to grate on the nerves of the archangel of Valor.

“Oh Gods- Please don’t. Don’t hurt me! I’ll do whatever you want mister-uh-”

“His name is Imperius and yes, he’s a bit of a fucking dick but you just learn to go with it. Really he is a lot of threat and not a lot of bite. Most of the time. As long as you aren’t a demon.” Tevar murmured, offering an awkward smile, “And just so you know you are getting dragged into his shit now.”

“Oh. Oh, oh no. No, no no.” Aladria quickly said, rising to her feet, “I already was interrogated for hours on what happen, I don’t want to go through that again! I have a job and life and- and a lot of life to live! No. No I can’t be dragged into this! Next time they might lock me up!”

“You won’t be incarcerated. You are coming with us.” Imperius responded, his head turning to follow her as she paced about. “Any creature of hell that learns of this meeting will now want to torture you and you might reveal crucial details of what was said here. The enemy cannot have you…and reluctant as I am to keep the company of humans, you are one I cannot ignore.”

Aladria swallowed hard, trembling as the news sunk in, “Demons?”

“They exist. Trust me. And they are not a pretty sight.”

Tevar’s tone was quiet as he peered out the window down at his truck, keeping a look out. The tension was clear in his stance. In fact Imperius could feel the fear curling off of both of them like an infectious disease and he let out a low growl before forcing his posture to relax, focusing on both of them. With only a thought, he reached his own resonance out to them, forcing the fear down as he had once done for the angelic host that served under his command and trying to create a sense of some calm. Cooler heads would only make it easier and faster to get the information he desired. 

Slowly, the tension eased just a bit and Impeirus let out a sigh himself, although his tone still remained rather short, unable to completely relinquish his distaste about speaking with mortals. 

“That aside, I need information, scholar. This age is unfamiliar to me. Last I recall, I was in a battle against the legions of Hell, the new age of evil having begun after Malthael’s corruption into the archangel of death and his demise.” Imperius leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Now I cannot sense Heaven nor even the desolate lands of Pandemonium. It is as if this world has become cut off from all else and I want to know why. What happened?”

Aladria was silent for a moment before she let out a sigh, moving to sink down into a chair, “It will take time to research to be fair. It is … a lot of time that passed since when there were stories of a supposed archangel death although that name has been lost. The time you speak of might be related to the time of the darkening where our ancestors were steeped in superstitions and what they thought was magic. So little has been recovered of that time.” She paused, letting out a nervous laugh, “or well, a time that wasn’t stories and the stories are turning out to be true and we seemed to have forgotten something that shouldn’t have been forgotten.”

“Any information is better than none.” Imperius responded, at least liking her more polite tenor more than Tevar’s rather caustic retorts. 

“Then I’ll try. If you come back tomorrow-“

“There is no coming tomorrow. You will come with us and do your research at this man’s home. It is reclusive enough that any demons that come I’ll be able to sense quickly.” Imperius interrupted as he rose to his feet.

Aldaria blinked, eyes widening, “We are leaving today?”

“Right now.” Imperius corrected.

“Take the time to pack things up. Take as much as you like.” Tevar added, giving a sympathetic smile. “I promise though my fridge has food enough, I got a dinosaur of a computer to use, and you get your own room, promise. I’m not looking to perv or anything. I bat for, well, the other team.”

Imperius just stared blankly at Tevar before shaking his head and addressing Aladaria again, “Ignore him. He speaks in riddles like a madman at times.”

“Honestly I feel like a madman right now talking to both of you.” She murmured unsteadily getting to her feet and starting to wander towards her bedroom. “I have an archangel in my home who is trying to tell me demons will come for me.”

“It only gets crazier from here.” Tevar sighed, moving to take a seat in a dining room chair, letting his eyes gaze about her apartment, “At least he is calmer. Trust me. When I first met him he had me by the throat!”

Aldaria laughed nervously, “Same with me actually. And someone sort of was killed by him. So I’m looking not to piss him off as I want to keep alive.”

“You were not answering my questions fast enough and it was under circumstances of duress. As for the human, he killed himself trying to kill me,” Imperius defended mater-of-factly, “I could now leave you both to the mercy of demons and I would not care. You should be grateful I have redacted my dislike of your kind in a special exception for the both of you to ensure your safety.”

“Comforting….” Aladaria murmured.

Tevar laughed softly, shaking his head, “Better than the alternative. Maybe. I mean, he is making it seem like you have a choice. Pretty sure if you would have said no he would have just forced you out anyways.”

“I am trying to be polite yes. I know you humans are often resentful if you are not given a choice in the matter.” Imperius grumbled, “But at the end of the day, if I return to Heaven, then I am no longer bothering you and you are no longer bothering me. It is mutual for both of us.” 

“Again, comforting.” Aladaria sighed as she pulled out a duffle bag from her closet and began to pack, quickly shoving items into the bag, “Do all angels dislike humans?”

That gave Imperius pause for a moment and he looked away towards the window, “That is to be determined.” He said cagily, “I may be the only one of my kind left.”

It was a possible reality, although it was one he was hoping was not true. However if the crystal arch was still intact, then maybe, just maybe he could salvage Heaven to some small extent if it truly had been destroyed or some other catastrophe had taken place. For now he pushed those concerns away as he rose to his feet, moving over to the window to peer out, “But in the days of old…no. Not all angels. Some were more hopeful about the wretched nature of your kind and that somehow you could overcome your base nature to embrace evil.”

Tevar let out a soft sigh, looking about the apartment as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, “Well, sometimes we just make stupid mistakes and it isn’t good or evil. Just being dumb.”

“Maybe in your case Tevar. I would like to think you aren’t the standard intelligence of your kind,” Imperius drawled, gaze fixed below as a trio of cars slowly crawled into the parking lot.

He ignored the protesting grumbles from the man and the slight nervous chuckle from Aladaria, his attention focused on the three vehicles. Even from here, he could sense the evil that seemed to radiate from them and he cursed softly. Hell was moving faster than in the past or else they had already determined where he was going. If so, it might mean that some more cunning demon was holding the reigns of these cretins.

“Our enemy has followed us.” Imperius growled, stepping away from the window, turning to regard the two humans, “They will no doubt storm the complex in an effort to kill us.”

“Will they harm others in the apartment?” Aladria asked, pausing in her packing. 

“Of course. They will kill any in their way and any potential witnesses. It will buy us time at the very least,” Imperius gave a careless shrug, “But I promise the two of you will remain unharmed.”

Aladria bit her lip before shaking her head, “There must be a way for us to get out and not endanger everyone here! There are children and families that live her! Innocent, good people!”

Tevar sighed as he moved back into the living room, giving Imperius a rather serious look, “I have to agree with her here. They aren’t after everyone else. Just us. We shouldn’t be throwing others into the meat grinder just for a few minutes of borrowed time.” 

Imperius looked between the two, wings flaring. It would be easier to escape if bait was used and the other humans here would more than suffice. It was just human life lost after all. These other mortals were not his concern. Yet he was more than aware of how stubborn humans could get when they believed in doing something for the greater good. Already he could hear Tyrael’s lectures and comments about his lack of true valor in letting innocence die.  
A growling sigh escaped him and he moved to the window, forcing it open, “I will provide a distraction and lure them away. You take your contraption, Tevar, and get the two of you back to your home. I shall meet you there.”

“What if they come after us?” Tevar asked.

“Then I suggest you drive faster.” Imperius responded tersely before he dove out the window.

His wings flared out as he descended, spear materializing in his hand as those at the vehicles looked up. They wore the skins of humans, but their eyes burned with a hellish intent that gave away what they were within. Nothing but flimsy disguises really.

Imperius slammed spear-first into the face of one of the disguised hell-beasts turning it to nothing but a smear of gore upon the ground. A wave of energy lashed out from where he had crashed into the ground, burning up the first wave of demons almost instantly and sending their vehicles crashing aside. The archangel rose once more to his feet, armor radiating heat as he felt the presence of more demons rushing through the woods towards them. A very organized raid it seemed. It was obvious that this group was merely bait to draw him out into the open to allow for no doubt larger, more ferocious demons to come at him. That knowledge did not bother Imperius.

Instead, he felt a thrill of excitement rise up at the thought of the foul beasts daring to challenge him, even more so that they thought they would be able to catch him at all with such simple strategies, “Come beasts! Let us see if you can match the might of Heaven’s strongest!”

His fiery wings spread wide, carrying him quickly forward as he rushed into the small strip of woodland, quickly colliding spear first with one of the fiends. The demon shrieked as its head and torso fell away from its legs in a bloody heap. Its companions whirled about, letting out cries of alarms that quickly turned into gurgles as Solaris ripped each of them into bloody ribbons. Yet even as he staged his attack against the demons, Imperius was leading them away from the apartment building, keeping an eye on the front door to ensure the two mortals made it out. He would keep his promise that no harm would come to them. 

He had just split the skull of another demon in twain when he spotted the two darting out and to his truck, the vehicle coming to life and then moving to peel out of the parking lot. The noise drew the attention of some of the demons but they did not get the chance to pursue the weaker targets. Imperius was already in front of them, wings blazing with righteous fury, reducing them to liquefied puddles of gore. Still more of the beasts seemed to pour out of the woods, yowling and howling with teeth bared and claws read to rip. Imperius merely scoffed at the display before charging headfirst, brushing pass the horde in a faux retreat, quickly causing the horde to turn and pursue him.

The archangel of valor weaved between the trunks and branches of trees, only coming to a halt when he had entered an open field, quickly turning with his spear in both hand. Away from the human structure and the presence of mortals, he could unleash his full power to end this quickly. 

The cretins of Hell no longer wore the skin of humans, their wretched twisted forms now bare to the world. Some of them were of a familiar breed, but others were clearly concoctions of Hell that Imperius had never beheld. That above all else was a slightly concerning fact to the archangel of valor. It meant Hell had had time to evolve in its own right in the millenniums that had passed. Yet here and how at least, that fact mattered little as he would make sure to slay every last one. Imperius growled, squaring his shoulders before he charged forward into the approaching swarm, Solaris leading.

The battle was bloody, but far too short. The archangel of valor skillfully weaved through the battle as if he already could anticipate the path to victory. His weapon flared and darted between the bodies of the demons, a shower of blood always left in its wake. Soon, all that was left was the quickly decomposing bodies of demons and the rank smell of gore and Sulphur filling the air. The archangel tsked slightly, looking about and gave a bold flare of his wings in challenge, “Is that all you can muster? I return after how long and you throw these weak barely formed cretins at me? Is this all Hell is able to unleash?”

His brash words were met with an echoing laughter and the archangel, gripped his spear a little tighter. Another presence filled the air now, its taint more pronounced and spoke of greater power than what he had just slain. However, this demon was far more cautious, cowardly Imperius would assume, as it kept to the woods out of sight of Imperius’s fury.  
“How bold!” The voice rasped out between bouts of amusement, “The master’s tales of your valor were indeed true. As well as the stories of your pride.”

The laughter of the fiend had Imperius growling softly under his breath, more from impatience than from actual anger towards the beast. The mocking words of demons were not enough to send him into a rage, that was for certain, “Are you going to talk, demon, or are you going to come out and face me?”

“Patience, mighty Imperius. No need to rush. Not like we have places to be,” the fiend paused, their tone growing more amused, “people to see. Humans to mutilate.”

Imperius was brash and tended to rush into situations, but he was by no means a fool. He understood exactly what the unseen fiend was implying in its foul words. The mortals were in peril in some form or another. As soon as they were out of sight, there could have been another ambush. The archangel of valor wanted to throw himself at the demon and throttle it for more or less luring him away from the two dim-witted humans but that would only give it credit for its deception. Instead, Imperius took to the air quickly, vanishing in a surge of smoke. The humans were his only reliable way to the information he needed and were currently of slightly more importance than dragging the hell-beat out of the woods by its tail and bludgeoning it soundly over the rocks.

Imperius rose rapidly to get a better view in order to locate the two humans and their vehicle, quickly moving towards the road ways where such a vehicle would be more obvious. Luck seemed to be in his fortunes today as he quickly felt a surge of bloodlust and vile intent that indicated a hunting party of the demons. Even more telling though was the strident wails of black and white vehicles that he recognized as the same kind from the station Tevar had brought him to before. The archangel descended more carefully to take in the situation, pleased at least the mortals had avoided capture so far. At the very least, it seemed Tevar had taken is advice to heart in simply driving faster, his truck barreling down the roadway and around other vehicles. However, ahead, the road had been blocked by more of those flashing vehicles. The two would soon be cornered and no doubt ripped apart as soon as the demons could get into the truck.

The archangel let out a growl before he dove downwards towards the chase, spear in both hands. It did not take long to catch up given the speed at which an angel could fly and soon he was coasting lower, just barely above the racing black and white vehicles and ready to attack once more. Really though, it was a simple matter to defeat these mortal machines. His weight was more than enough to crush down the hood of the car, causing it to bottom out and flames to erupt from its black blood. Imperius kicked off, sending the car flying back into the other ones, more and more swerving and piling up, metal scattering over the pavement. Yet from the wreckages, twisted bodies began to emerge, scrambling to keep up the chase. After all, the crashes may be fatal to humans, but demons were more resilient. These demons though were clearly built for pursuit appearing almost canine, although their limbs were too long and what looked like hair at first, upon close inspection, were actually a dense covering of quills oozing some sort of oil out their tips. 

The beasts screeched and wailed, gaining ground on the truck now as their speed was that of creatures not born of this world. Imperius growled and threw himself forward, now overtaking the car of the two humans he had reluctantly allied himself with and surged ahead towards the roadblock. There were many more demons there and although he might not have trouble overcoming the horde, the two humans were weak and vulnerable. All it would take is one of the fiends managing to get a claw around him to end their pathetic lives.

He had given his word to protect them and above all else, he always honored his promises. 

Imperius turned in mid-air and came back towards the truck, catching onto the roof of it and with a snarl, peeled it back enough to reveal his two reluctant companions within. Trevar was gawking up at Imperius while Aladaria’s expression was wide-eyed with fear, clutching her duffle bag tightly to her chest.   
He gave them no response, merely reaching down to grab both of them, “We are leaving, hold on!”

Aladaria screamed as she was hoisted out of the truck, moving to cling onto the archangel tightly. Tevar was more reluctant to go, still clutching onto the wheel and letting out a low groan as if he were dying before he relinquished his grip. The archangel of valor surged upwards, one human in each arm. Below, there were screams as those demons who had set up the roadblock dove aside as the truck rammed into it at full force. There was a resounding crash, vehicles scattering and flipping and oil trailing over the road that quickly erupted into an inferno. The truck itself managed to meander a few more feet, sputtering as its engine belched black smoke before it slipped over the edge of the road and down an embankment, turning over and over. 

Imperius spared merely a final glance to the carnage before he focused his consciousness further away, vanishing away with the two humans under arm.

In the blink of an eye, they were coasting along the airspace in the mountains again and he pulled into a tight dive, coming to alight once more on the front yard of Tevar’s home where he carefully lowered both shaky mortals to the ground, “There. You are safe.”

“Yes safe but my truck,” Tevar let out a groan shaking his head, “I spend so much time fixing it up, getting it all cleaned up and filled with goodies. I found it with vines growing out the hubcaps! Completely free and in the weed! I spent three years saving her!” 

“We nearly got eaten by demons and you care about your truck?” Aladaria asked incredulously, “That’s the biggest lost here? We nearly died! Several times over!”

Imperius snorted, “We can hold a service if that pleases you, but it was only a thing of metal, nothing more. Nothing less.”

“It was my baby Imperius. My precious old, beat-up, shit wagon.” He sighed starting to slink over to his still damaged home,“That’s the second thing of mine you’ve destroyed...”

The archangel of Valor only straightened up to his full height in response, crossing his arms haughtily as his wings flared for a moment before he moved to stalk back into Tevar’s home. “You should be grateful you draw breath still. You mortals are so ungrateful.”

Aldaria looked between the two before letting out a sigh and following Imperius inside, gingerly stepping over the broken glass still on the floor. Tevar took in the mess with a sigh before silently slinking out to the garage, retrieving some wood and nails before moving to the broken window and starting to board up the damage.

Imperius was pleased to see the home was how they left it and there was no tremor of demonic presence, which afforded his senses a moment of peace. He moved over to the couch to take a seat, grumbling a bit as the piece of furniture bowed under his weight, forcing him to sit with his knees practically to his chest. Aldaria followed tentatively still clutching her duffel bag and looking unsure before taking a in a breath and finally speaking.

“So...you are really an archangel?” 

“I am. I am Imperius, leader of the Ageris Counsel, archangel of valor,” he answered stiffly, “Why is this simple fact so hard to comprehend? Your ancestors were not nearly as skeptical.” 

She let out a quiet laugh at his statement, setting her duffle bag down on the floor, “Yes well, I’m just starting to realize that all the stories we find in bits and pieces are actually true and hordes of demons do exist.”

“Aye. That they do,” Imperius trailed off, his resonance humming uneasily. 

There had been a lot of demons, enough to form groups to attack him and pursue the mortals at the same time. There was coordination enough in the attack to indicate they were organized. The fact that a more powerful fiend had taunted him on the behalf of their master’s greater plan also showed that there was still some semblance of a hierarchy of rank within Hell’s ranks. Imperius could only imagine what that may imply about the current state of things. Without Heaven above and with Hell still very present it seemed, it could only mean the corruption of Sanctuary had swung in the favor of evil and nothing remained to purge these lands of that corruption. The conflict may have already been determined in Hell’s favor. 

Imperius paused to look down at his own hands, clenching both of them into fists. Well, there was at least one archangel left to maintain the conflict and he would be damned if he would let Hell claim any sort of victory. 

“Is something wrong?”

Imperius’s head jerked up at the simple question and he eyed Aladaria for a moment before shaking his head with a grunt, “I am fine. Merely thinking,” He paused before turning his attention now fully to the scholar, “Where did you hear of the legends of the old age?”

“From studies of ancient books recovered mostly,” She admitted with a shrug, “Carvings on tombs and the like, although the greatest source of information is a book known as the Book of Tyrael. It is considered something of a holy grail among scholars.”

“The book of Tyrael….where can we find it?” Imperius demanded, “In another of your museums?”

“Well, you can find copies world-wide really. Our ancestors transcribed it a few times, creating imperfect copies. These are the copies of the text we find more often and almost all of them tend to contradict each other in terms of lore. They say the original Book of Tyrael, was buried with the prophet whom it was named for and we honestly have no idea where his tomb may even be.” Aladria explained. 

She paused for a moment, worrying her lip before she lifted her gaze towards the archangel of valor, “Was Tyrael a mortal prophet, or was her really an angel?”

Imperius fell silent at her question, his hands clenching some before he rose to his feet, “Tyrael became mortal and is no longer counted among Heaven. He was a delusional fool. The only boon he can grant us now is that this book may be intact.” He paused, scoffing slightly, “I do not trust mortal copies. The original must be obtained.” 

“Oh. That is...not the answer I expected.” She murmured, flicking her gaze briefly up at Imperius, “So...do you know where he is buried?”

“The last I saw of him, he was alive and well,” Imperius responded, starting to pace a bit. He paused only to glance over towards Tevar, the man now starting to hammer away and put up wooden boards over the broken window, “Are there any clues that your scholars have reasoned out?”

Aladria pursed her lips thoughtfully, “Tyrael is said to have been buried in the region where he fell, within a labyrinth of sort known as the labyrinth of the fallen star. What that entails, we aren’t sure. Our ancestors were not ah, forthcoming with actual locations and seemed to prefer riddles.”

Imperius snorted, “What riddle? It is more than obvious where he was buried. The location of his greatest shame. The place where he fell when he foolishly tore his wings as if being mortal was a solution to the dissonance between us!” 

“What do you mean? You know where it is?” Her voice lifted with excitement enough to cause Imperius to tilt his head to regard her. 

“Yes. Tristram Cathedral. Did your scholars not look in so obvious a place?” He inquired.

Her expression fell a bit as she glanced aside, rubbing the back of her head, “No one is, well, sure where ancient Tristram once stood.” She admitted, “Even if any landmarks survived the test of time and the constant wars, it is most likely buried and forgotten.”

“Tristram Cathedral.” Tevar murmured from where he worked, glancing over his shoulder, “Isn’t that the place where Diablo was put? Or at least that is what the old stories and TV specials always say.”

“It did. Of course human folly and weakness is what led to the horrid hellion gaining its freedom once more,” Imperius drawled, “As well as the other evils. And the black soul stone.”

“I think you need to lay off the hate boner for humanity if you are going to keep us around. I don’t want to develop any more of a complexion of self-hate,” Tevar drawled. 

Imperius turned his head towards Tevar, the front of his armor heating up slightly but before he could utter a retort, Aladria quickly cleared her throat, “So, ah, the long and short of it is we don’t know where old Tristram is and there are no surviving maps as to its location. However, there is no doubt if we find the tomb, we could possibly find more information.” 

“Then how do you believe we can locate it? It seems all of humanity has forgotten absolutely everything!”

Aladria winced some at his tone, but kept a pleasant smile firmly in place, “Well, you are the key to that, Imperius. You are a first-hand source as to the layout of the world. If you could draw a map of Sanctuary as you remember it, we could compare it to modern maps and gleam the location of the cathedral.”

The archangel of valor scoffed at hearing the request, rearing up to his full height as if what she asked was somehow insulting, “I can easily do so. I had to pour over maps of this wretched place countless times and have it committed to memory.” He paused though, looking away, “but it is a clever idea. I suppose.”

She smiled, accepting the small compliment, “We should be able to triangulate our position then and figure out how to reach it. We just have to work together and then see about uncovering the tomb”

“And pray they didn’t build a shopping mall over it.” Tevar added with a chuckle.

That caused Aladria to huff some, hands on her hips, “If they did, they would have noticed I’m sure. You don’t just dig out a foundation and not notice a giant ancient labyrinth!”

Imperius tilted his head, musing over her plan before nodding, “Fine then. Fetch me parchment, ink, and a quill and I shall draw out the map.”

“Would paper and pen work? Fresh out of ye old ancient scribing tools,” Trevar said, chuckling some. “Printer paper is next to the computer and think have a few working pens.”

Aladria sighed, giving a shake of her head but made no fuss as she moved to retrieve the items before gently moving to usher Imperius towards the dining room table, “I think the area where Tirstram is located or rather, the continent it is on would be the best place to start.”

The archangel of Valor tensed as she approached, not appreciating how she was leading him around, but swallowed his protest as at least she was helping him in getting closer to the answers he sought, “I will draw the continent yes, then I’ll outline the kingdom of Khanduras and the location of the cathedral.”

She nodded, sitting beside him, although he chose to stand at the side of the table, “Then I’ll compare them once done.” She paused, looking unsure before finally speaking up, “If the tomb is intact, do you think….we will find anything down there?” she asked as she offered him the pen and paper. 

“Tyrael died a mortal death, but his soul and energy was that of an angel. There very well may be many a dark thing risen in reaction to his aura in the tomb in addition to the ancient protections that were most likely erected. Magic can withstand the tests of time far longer than mere mortal tools.” Imperius responded, taking up the pen gingerly, looking it over before setting about drawing out the map, “In fact, the reason it has gone undiscovered is probably due to masking wards. Many such sites were common in my era and would no doubt survive to this age.”

Aladria’s eyes seemed to widen in wonder at that fact and she was already leaning forward to watch him sketch out the map, “It is almost hard to believe that at one point magic was so common an affair. I wonder what happened to cause us to forget it.”

“I wonder the same thing. The nephelem should have returned with no worldstone to curb their power. Humans like you should be rare,” He murmured.

It was a question that had weighed heavily on his mind for some time. This word was starved of magic, even more so than the past. He felt no nephelem. The humans mixed in with the demons earlier felt more like empty vessels of energy. Something had changed in Sanctuary while he was locked away, something that seemed to behave in a manner similar to the worldstone and he wondered if it was that same energy that was now keeping the path to Heaven bared. Yet, there were exceptions. In Tevar and Aladria, he could sense something, like a small pool of energy that merely needed a spark to start to grow once more.   
He mused on those thoughts even as he started to draw the map, sketching out the familiar curves of the western continent and its myriad of cities. Aladria’s eyes were fixed on his work quietly, practically trembling with anticipation at what would be revealed. Tevar continued his work behind them, tapping the hammer against nails to board up the broken window soundly as to keep the chill out and also any unwanted guests that might use it to gain entry. 

“I recognize this….” Aladria murmured, “Is that truly where Lut Gholein, the city of splendors, once stood?”

“It is not as dazzling as you might think. Not compared to the glory of the spires of Heaven,” Imperius murmured, “But that is beside the point. Tristram and the nation of Khanduras lies here.”

With swift, quick strokes he began to outline Kahnduras, placing an X over where old Tristram once stood, “The cathedral sat at the outskirts of the town, to the north I believe,”

 

Aladria’s brow furrowed as she looked over the map before rising to her feet and moving to the computer in the corner, “This is actually rather close to our current position.”

Imperius’s wings flared somewhat as he sat up straighter, “Close? Tristram was not particular close to where the last battle I was directing was taking place.”

“Well, I mean...you were found far to the north and brought here as part of the museum collection,” Aladria pointed out with a slight, awkward smile, “At the very least I can tell you that where we are now is located within the ancient kingdom of Khanduras.”

Trevar grinned, “Well, that will make getting to this tomb easier yeah?”

“Yes and no. Yes in that it is closer to get to. No in that well, transportation might be an issue. Our faces are probably plastered all over the television.” 

Imperius snorted, “I can easily transport us to where we need to be. We shall fly there is all.”

“I suppose that solve that issue.” Aladria murmured, worrying her lip some.

“Yeah? But doesn’t solve the other issue of the, oh, I don’t know, the fact you mentioned this tomb is probably filled with traps and possibly the living dead?” Tevar snorted, giving a shake of his head, “Are we just going to stand behind Imperius the whole time, screaming in fear?”

The archangel of Valor gave a shake of his head, “Did neither of you ever learn to fight? To use magic? To do anything to protect yourself from the minions of Hell?”

Tevar held up both of his hands defensively, letting out a low huff, “Look, I didn’t even know all that shit existed until now. All I got is a gun and enough bullets for about half a dozen enemies. You tell me if that is going to put a dent in the enemy.”

Imperius fell silent, musing over his words. It did not seem like these modern weapons were all that effective, not out of lack of killing power perhaps, but simply out of the lack of the enchantments and belief in their damage. There was a distinct lack of energy in Sanctuary now however, within these two, there was potential. With enough focus, they could start to perhaps gain the power of their unknown and forgotten birthright. 

The question now was if he was willing to help unleash that potential power and let them mature into true nephelem, going against all he believed, or hold true to his own hatred of the wretched half-breeds. 

At his core though, Imperius knew he had no choice in the matter. He could not always be watching and protecting these mortals, not at all times. If they were to be any further use to him, they would need to be able to defend themselves. 

“I will show you how to fight them.” the archangel began slowly, his tone tight with reluctance, “If only to help further my search for information in regards to what happened. Both of you have potential to become nephelem. I do not know how or why, perhaps something of your particular bloodlines or in your past you had contacted with something containing enough energy to be imbued into you, but I can help you achieve greater power.”

Tevar gave Imperius a skeptical look while Aladria merely stared at him in unabashed wonder. The former though shook his head, glancing over to the gun cabinet in the corner of the living room, “I thought you said you would teach shit after we get to Heaven.”

“Circumstances have changed,” Imperius growled, “And I can’t teach you everything no, but you should figure things out on your own as your power increases.” 

“Well, at least it is something,” Tevar sighed, crossing his arms, “So how do we do this? Reach deep inside? Some meditation technique?”

Aladria rolled her eyes, swatting Tevar some on the shoulder before turning to address Imperius, “I for one am thankful for you taking this chance with us and look forward to being able to unlock lost knowledge.”

Imperius eyed her, not sure if he actually perhaps respected the human, or found her to be more a nuisance. At the very least, she seemed to actually put some stock in what he said, even if he had the feeling she was more like a curious child about to be taught how to play with matches. He sighed again, shoulders slumping. He really had no choice if he wanted to get his way. True he could storm the tomb on his own, but then that only left a very slim margin for disaster if something else occurred that he had not considered. Not to mention the scholar was proving to be useful in her aid as well as Tevar to an extent. 

He would not admit though that there was a sliver of protectiveness he was developing towards them. That he brushed off as he was starved for some sort of interaction after so long alone and with none of his own kind, the awful mortals would have to suffice for now. Imperius looked between the two, eying them up before crossing his arms and straightening his stance like a commander inspecting troops. 

“You need a medium to help channel the power. Some sort of object, preferably something to be used as a weapon,” Imperius began in a grumble. 

Tevar didn’t hesitate to move over to his gun cabinet, opening it up and looking over the array of weapons inside, “Should we go gun here or should I take out the old crossbow?”

“Crossbows were the weapon of choice for the demon hunters. It will serve you well. I do not know if it will work with these guns you speak of,” Imperius murmured, turning his gaze to Aladria as Tevar debated his options, “For you, something to use as a staff may be a better fit. Scholars seemed to prefer such mediums.”

“A staff. A staff.” Aladria’s gaze trailed about the house, eyeing up a variety of items before she moved over to an old mop, pausing to take the top off and then brandishing it about with a nervous grin, “So…would this work?”

“It is not sturdy but I suppose it will do.” Imperius heaved a sigh as he easily yanked the pole out of her hand. 

For a moment he eyed the wooden pole before he began to focus his resonance, building up energy within him and sliding his hand down the length of the former mop handle slowly. Energy flowed out and into the wood and it trembled but held under the flames dancing over it briefly. As soon as the energy had dispersed into the grain, he handed the wooden pole back to Aladria, “I’ve given it a small enchantment that should help to pull forth your inner power and at least help to focus it.”

Trevar had wandered back over, a rifle over one shoulder and cross bow held in both arms. He grinned up at Imperius, shrugging as he held up his crossbow, “Honestly couldn’t make a choice between the two. Might be nice to have a backup, you know?”

Imperius couldn’t help another sigh, feeling he was going to be doing that often now, before moving take up the weapons, enchanting them as he had done with the pole Aladria was now carefully brandishing around. Watching the two of them had the archangel of valor wondering if he had made a mistake in choosing these two, but then again, he hadn’t really chosen them and it was more they were the only humans he had encountered, that he was tolerating to some degree, and at the very least could trust somewhat.   
He was working with amateurs of the art of war, like a pair of fledgling angels newly sung into existence. There was that same, naïve, almost eager lift to their spirits that achingly reminded him of the young recruits he used to train. 

“So now what?” Aladria asked, glancing up at the archangel, “Just...when we are in the tomb we will be able to call upon something?”

“You should be able to do so now just...concentrate. Focus your inner being and let it take whatever form the power within you wants to take,” Imperius grumbled in exasperation, “Every nephelem carries a different spark, a different energy.” 

“Just point and shoot?” Trevar asked, holding up his crossbow, brow furrowed as he took aim at a rather generic poster across the room of some wild animals, “Let’s see...I’m imagining a bolt of...uh...fire or something like that.”

Imperius only muffled another exasperated sigh, shoulders slumping. He was starting to wonder about his own sanity currently in that he was actually wishing the damnable nephelem was around and not these practical children in terms of ability. He could only watch on, unimpressed, as Trevar launched a crossbow bolt across the room that flickered with a tiny bit of magical flame, letting out a small squealing scream like a firecracker. It hit the painting and splashed into tiny sparks of damage that probably would barely stop a charging piglet. 

Trevar though had jumped at the small display, grinning ear to ear and practically puffing up with pride as he looked over at Imperius and Aladria, “Heh, nothing to this magic!”

“Let me try!” The spark of excitement in the curator had been fanned up and she gripped her makeshift pole, brow furrowing in concentration before she shoved it forward. 

The air heated up around them before a tiny little cloud formed, releasing a small downpour of rain onto the carpet and a tiny spark of lightning laced out briefly before it all vanished in a puff. Her eyes widened, filled with complete exhilaration before she thrust the staffed forward, managing to pull off the same small display of magic, “This is...this is incredible! We actually… magic actually exists!”

“Magic exists and we are about to kick some ass in a good old fashion dungeon crawler like a couple of fantasy heroes!” Trevar exclaimed.

 

Imperius shook his head but said nothing to dampen their mood or point out that what they had achieve was not even a sliver of what their ancestors had so easily called upon. They were exciting and brimming with a rather infectious brand of valor, no doubt only enhanced due to his proxy to the both of them. It would serve them well when they descended into the tomb. Only the arch would know what kind of traps or monstrosities were left behind to keep the resting place of noble Tyrael safe from the tainted hands of Hell. At least maybe a taste of combat would help them to increase their power and battle against the strange barrier that seemed to jealously clutch onto magic, much like the crystalline prison that once encased him.

“Let us be going. I will need the map and direction. I cannot teleport to a location I am unfamiliar with visually or cannot see,” Imperius declared, looking between the two, “And if you are looking to take items from this venture, bring some sort of bag.”

Tevar’s eyes lit up and he was already dashing off again, digging through a closet before pulling out rather large backpack, “I kept my old military grade pack from my days of hiking. We can carry all sorts of crap in here. I got two if you want one!”

Aladria smiled, giving a small nod, “That would be prudent yes.”

“We’ve wasted enough time. Scholar, how do we arrive at this location?” Imperius demanded. 

Aladria gave a small shrug, brow furrowing as she eyed the map now loaded on the screen of the computer, “Well, we can use a GPS but I don’t think I should use my phone, less we are tracked…”

“I have one.” Tevar volunteered, as he returned with the packs, dropping them on the floor, “Have it for hunting, but it should still be fine for this. What’s the location?”

“The nearest landmark we can track is the Khanduras National Park Reserve. It seems the ruins of Tristram rest right in the center of it. From there, maybe we can gleam other landmarks to track,” Aladria suggested. 

“Once we draw closer, I will be able to find it, if only for the energy it will radiate. The place was touched extensively by the energies of Heaven. It will resonate with my own energies to an extent.”

Imperius moved towards the door, feeling a murmur of impatience once more surge into his soul with the answers now being closer than ever, “Buried a mortal or not, Tyrael’s armor and sword were relics of Heaven and born of the arch. They will forever bare its divine energy.”

The cool air did not phase Imperius in the least as he left the home, spreading his wings wide. The tendrils of fire licked harmlessly against the ground as he looked heavenward. He stretched out his resonance, searching out for the once natural link to the High Heavens that he could grasp onto and rise above this mortal world and into the world of his kin. Nothing. Only the familiar silence that exsisted before. Not even a trace of the song of the crystal arch whispered in the still air. There was not even a note of dissonance that indicated a potential calamity had occurred. A part of him wondered if Heaven was just removed from existence by the power of some mad nephelem at some point in the past, much like what had become of Mephisto’s son, but that too did not make sense given the state of Sanctuary. There was no magic. The land was starved of the energy that used to flow around it and infuse the nephelem with their strange and varied abilities. Hell remained, although it was strange they had not simply overpowered such weak mortals to take this world for themselves. There was nothing but questions building on top of one another. 

But the answers were coming, that was the hope he clung to even now. There was that certainty that he would find out, one way or another, and then, he could begin figuring out his next steps in this strange new age. 

He turned as he heard Tevar and Aladria leave the home, the two chatting rather amiable now, the former holding a strange device. The archangel approached them and then reluctantly offered them both a hand, “Are you now ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be to raid an ancient tomb of some archangel.” Tevar responded, moving to take Imperius’s hand.

Aladria smiled as she took the other hand, “My life has already went insane, and might as well see this new path to the end. At the very least, the secrets of the past will start to be revealed and as a scholar, I can set about recording them as they should be.”

The archangel of valor looked to the two before giving a nod, wings spreading out wider and then he was taking off into the air, easily pulling the two along as if they weighed nothing at all. Aladria clutched on tight, looking down eyes wide as they rose, both fear and exhilaration clear in her features. Tevar was laughing and whooping as they rose, a devil-may-care smile spreading from ear to ear. The archangel nearly felt a twinge of amusement in his resonance, but the stubborn desire to maintain his dislike of humanity was there to push it down.

“Which way?” Imperius asked, glancing to Tevar.

The man shifted to look at the screen before jerking his head, “Towards the north from here. I have it set to a general location so it won’t be screaming at us to take certain roads.”

Imperius didn’t ask why the small box and glowing screen would be screaming at them at all, merely half-falling back, twisting in midair to straighten out as he quickly moved towards the north. His wings didn’t beat, merely spreading wide and burning with fire and vigor. The world below was flashing by quickly due to his speed and the wind wiped around them. Aladria was squinting some, turning her head a bit to avoid the wind blasting into her face as they moved. Tevar though merely pulled up a scarf over his nose, eyes crinkled in delight at the wild flight. 

“We are making good time! I didn’t know you could fly this fucking fast!” Tevar yelled over the roar of the wind.

“Did you think angels flew slowly?” Imperius drawled, “Flight is our light-given gift. A manifestation of will that gives wings.”

“Yeah, but I mean, you could probably outpace a jetliner!” Tevar responded excitedly.

Imperius did not know of what he spoke up, heaving a long suffering sigh. There would be much to learn about in this new world, more than he really cared to learn. It seems humanity had only grown more complicated as time had gone on.

The archangel fell silent, stretching out his sense to keep a tab on any demons that may be in the area. There were none this far out it seemed. The fiends had become bold enough to coalesce it seemed near the urban centers of Sanctuary rather than lurking in the countryside slaughtering wayward parties. In fact, the wild lands felt empty of anything but the most mundane of creatures. Whatever diversity of beasts and creations molded by demonic and angelic hands had died off. 

Or perhaps the lack of strange mana had caused a regression in the more strange and vicious creatures of the world. Just another question that burned within him that demanded an answer. At least soon, more points of the puzzle would be revealed. 

It was all he could believe and hope for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a larger chapter and took a lot of editing to get it to where I wanted 8I The next chapter is the same way, so it may take a while! Just rough chapters written during NANO that need a lot of TLC XD; 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed!


	7. The Cathedral

The sun was starting to slip lower on the horizon before they crossed into the Khanduras National Park, as announced by an over excited Tevar, and already, Imperius could feel a slight pang of nostalgia. He hated Sanctuary yes, but the wild, untamed lands below, the sprawling dark forests that were as ancient as he was, were a more familiar and comforting sight. The various farms that once darted the land of Khanduras and the small towns hidden away were long gone, reclaimed by the woods, but it still felt as it once had. A land, forever darkened by a shadow cast over it in the past and forever tainted by the touch of the prime evil that had once been sealed below. Perhaps that aura is what had kept humanity from ever reclaiming this land, that eternal misfortunate that hugged the land.

A pity though. It could almost be beautiful if not for the taint.

“So drawing close to the coordinates we approximated before,” Tevar declared as he looked up from the device he clutched in one hand, “So now what? How we going to find this place?”   
Imperius did not respond right away, although his pace slowed until he was nearly hovering in midair. Already he was reaching out to get a feel of the place even as he began to descend towards the ground. So far he could detect nothing but the black cloud that still hung so thick over the region. It would require something a bit louder no doubt to get a response from whatever glimmer of Tyrael’s resonance may still linger within his armor.  
“Imperius?”

The archangel was brought back to the present, glancing over to Aladria, “What?”

“Just… well, do you have a plan now that we are here?”

The archangel scoffed at the question before turning his gaze to the land below, “Of course I do! I did not come out here without a plan! Finding this tomb is a simple matter. Any faint traces of Heaven’s light, I’ll be able to detect, although,” He let out a soft huff, glancing away, “I will have to let out a louder burst of my own. It seems the traces are very weak if they exist at all.” 

It took very little thought for Imperius to focus inwards gathering his resonance into a building surge of inward before letting it loose in a sudden burst. The energy flowed away from his wings in a halo of fire, a peculiar keening sound accompanying it. Aladria and Tevar both winced at the sound although Imperius ignored the reaction. The sound was a cry, a resonance that lashed out over the land, searching out for a response, no matter how small. He moved forward, head tilting some as his very soul ached for a familiar response, any glimmer of another born of Heaven.

There was no response to the first burst. Nor the second. Upon the third one though, he froze in mid-air, wings flaring as he felt the small hum of something. It was weak, very weak. No doubt age had degraded the resonance that was already barely in existence given the likely owner had died a mortal but it was there. It was a soft whisper, but starved as he was for any contact of a familiar, heavenly kind, the archangel of valor was drawn to it like a starved man to a feast, already dropping lower below the gloomy thick branches of the trees below.

As he touched down, he slowly lowered his two passengers, his senses fixed still on that tiny flicker of resonance far beneath their feet. Tevar was pulling out his crossbow, eyeing the surrounding area before glancing over to Imperius, “So…where is the cathedral?”

“We are standing over it,” Imperius respond with a growl, crouching down. 

The archangel rested his hand against the stony ground, reaching out his sense into the earth below. The small hum could still be felt and Imperius let his resonance branch out and detect just what remained below. Aladria had knelt down next to him, poking her pole into the dirt some, her lips pursed, “If it is here, it is probably buried very deep in the earth. We might have to spend a few days digging up a path down…”

“Well, I didn’t bring a shovel,” Trevar murmured.

Imperius huffed, half paying attention to the conversation as he felt out a cavernous chasm beneath the earth and stone, “We will not need to dig.”

The archangel of valor rose to his feet and looked to his companions, “Move away. I will create the entrance.”

He held out his hand and above, the sky opened up before a bolt of light descended into hands, forming into Solaris in an instant. He grasped onto the familiar weapon before lifting it up in both hands. His wings spread wide and his whole being began to heat up with energy. Tevar and Aladria had not questioned his orders, already moving away, the former ducking down behind a few rocks and pulling the curator down beside him. A wise move given that in the next moment, Imperius had brought his spear down into the earth, sending rock, dirt, and foliage flying away from the shockwave.

The archangel dropped as his spear dug in, coming only to a stop when it cracked into decaying stone that once served as the cornerstone of the upper cathedral’s long rotted away roof. As the debris settled, Tevar and Aladria quicky moved to the lip of the whole, staring down in wonder. Imperius though once more crouched down, carefully pulling up stone to create an entrance to the yawning chasm below.

“Are you two going to gawk or come down here?” Imperius snapped, glancing up at the two mortals.

Tevar and Aladria shared a look before the former sighed, moving to start climbing down, “Hey, you got to give us poor mortals like, a few minutes to process the sheer majesty of your power okay? You are throwing trees and boulders around like paper balls.”

“And you consistently feel the need to run your mouth.” 

Aladria sighed, shaking her head she shakily made her way down the sides and then over to Imperius’s side. Her eyes widened as she noticed the decayed stone they stood upon, clutching her staff tighter.

“That’s the cathedral?” Aladria asked in a soft whisper.

“Yes. This is the roof of the cathedral of Tristram. The prison of Diablo,” Imperius paused, his tone growing grimmer, “The resting place of Tyrael if your legends are correct.”

“This should be the place,” Aladria bit her lip, shivering some as she peered into the yawning darkness below, “This place feels….cold though. Sad almost.”

“A lot of blood has been shed here. The spirits and tortured dead linger and their souls bleed off their cold sorrow,” Imperius explained, moving to offer her a hand, “They will not appreciate our disturbing of their resting place and most likely attack.”

The scholar smiled as she took the hand as Tevar slid down next to them, already moving to peer into the hole, “Oh, that is nice to know. Luckily so dark down there, we won’t be able to see them as they are gnawing our bones.” Tevar glanced up before gesturing to his bag, “I have a flashlight, but I don’t think it will be that much help.”

“I will provide the light,” Imperius drawled, moving to grasp onto Tevar by the back of his shirt. The man yelped, letting out a string of courses as the archangel snorted in amusement before stepping out into the abyss and starting to float downwards. “Come, we have little time to explore. No doubt our enemies will have felt that burst of power and be working to track the origin.”  
“Do you always let Hell know where you are and what you are up to?” Tevar drawled, crossing his arms.

Imperius let out another snort, “I see no reason for stealth. Let the beast try and stop me.”

He descended down into the gripping cold silence of the ancient cathedral, the air already thick with a sort of malice that had Imperius’s very resonance shuddering in contempt. His wings flared out, glowing brighter and bathing the area in a warm glow as he came to alight upon the dusty stone floor, releasing Tevar and allowing Aladria to gently touch down beside him. In the light of the archangel’s wings, the ancient stone-work was revealed and even so heavily damaged and collapsed as it was in places, the cathedral of Tristram still held and ancient, commanding presence that demanded a sense of awe.

Yet there was a lingering threat in the air and it felt almost as if the darkness had eyes of its own, glaring at the intruders who had brought light and life to this untouched tomb. 

Tevar was tense, both hands on his crossbow as he looked about at the yawning dark, “I don’t see anything yet.”

“We are only in the upper cathedral. The true nature of this place lies in the labyrinth below that will need to be explored,” Imperius explained, moving forward. 

Each step disturbed ancient dust and there was the low skittering of cave vermin fleeing the approaching light. Thick cobwebs hung from every column and he only paused when he came to the gaping hole in the floor, no doubt the crater left by Tyrael when he had originally fell here. The once vibrant blue glow of the rock had long since vanished, although here and there, small glimmers of energy remained, a testament to the power of the angel that had fallen here thousands of years ago.

“We will have to descend into the bowels of this place. Be warned now, that this will not be easy,” Imperius growled, turning to regard the two humans for a moment. 

Fear had crept back into them, but despite that, the two mortals remained resolute. Tevar was already loading in a bolt, smiling grimly, “I wasn’t expecting this to be a walk in the park. Besides, I am tired of running from all these demons and whatever else shit might be down there.”

Aladria laughed quietly, “Already gone this far. Might as well see the terrors my ancestors saw each day.”

Imperius snorted, returning his gaze back to the hole before slipping down, wings spread as he touched down onto the floor below, weapon in hand. The two humans moved to carefully climb down even as the archangel took a few steps forward. Something was moving in the darkness of the labyrinth. The air felt more electrified, almost moving as it was stirred up. The energy in this place was coming to life, shifting and wrapping about them. The chill had only grown more apparent and there was a soft shuffling in the dark. The light the archangel put off soon began to gleam off pale bone as shambling skeletons started to inch forward.

Weak yes, but there were many of these ancient dead, long slain and festering in their hatred and sorrow within these ancient halls. The first rasping grating snarls managed their way pass lipless skulls just as Tevar and Aladria arrived.

“Holy shit!”

The statement was punctuated by the firing of a sparking bolt that crashed into one of the skeletons, knocking it back some and spreading damage over the others, but not putting it down just yet. Imperius shook his head as he took his spear in hand, “The two of you need to do better than that if you are going to keep up with me!”

With that said, the archangel of valor charged forward, his form vanishing in a flash of light, only to appear in the midst of the skeletons. Solaris cut a deadly arch through the fragile bones, obliterating dozens in a single attack. He did not stop there, already moving forward into the next crowd with a roar of battle. 

Tevar cursed, scowling as he squeezed the trigger of the crossbow again, starting to slam multiple bolts into the crowd, each one growing stronger than the next. Aladria cowered back some, eyes wide as her complexion went sheet white at the sight before her, yet soon she managed to grasp onto a moment of valor and let out a shout, thrusting her staff forward.

Rain and lightning spattered against the attacking skeletons, the shock of it causing a few of the bone monstrosities to momentarily pause, their forms jerking from the energy. The result of her magic seemed to encourage her more however as her trembling hands started to firm up on the staff. Her brow furrowed as she brandished her staff forward, sending out an arch of energy that was formed more so into a splash of lighting, not just a small cloud.

Imperius noted it all in passing as his concentration fell upon new enemies that were emerging from the bowels of this place. The glowing forms of ghosts came rushing forward, wailing with the anger and pain of their eternal suffering, eager to rip the warmth of life from the three intruders. No doubt Tyrael’s lingering energy would have caused the restless dead to rise, especially those who had died in a manner that demanded justice be done. The aspect of wisdom or not, even in death it seemed, the world still regarded the fallen archangel as an aspect of divine justice. No doubt the restless dead served as a good defense against would be intruders to the tomb of Tyrael and there was probably many a foolish treasure hunters that may have happened into this place ripped apart by the undead roaming the halls and joined their ranks.   
Imperius’s spear darted forward, catching the first ghost through the torso, dispersing its energy with a sudden burst of flame. It screamed as it pulled apart but it did little to keep the other spirits from attacking Imperius. Their spectral grasp dug against his armor, trying to claw their way in to his resonance. The mighty archangel snarled, his entire form heating up before a burst of heat radiated from him, driving the spectral creatures back, screaming as their essence caught fire. 

Their touch inspired no fear, no sorrow as it was intended for those were not emotions that the archangel of valor fell to. He came to life in their midst, spear whirling and flashing as it carved a path of death through their ranks. 

He only allowed himself to come to a halt when the last of this wave of enemies had fallen to the ground, a scorched pile of bones. It was an easy fight, at least for him and he hoped that it remained as such as they descended as it would mean they could conclude their business quickly. He turned slightly to regard the two humans, feeling a slight hum of respect to see them at least still standing. 

Trevar was looking rather pleased at his own conquest, grinning as he hefted the crossbow, “Not a single bolt lost! Does ammo just replenish now?”

“It is part of your skill I suppose, or whatever talent your nephelem blood has passed on,” Imperius responded tersely, “But this is not the time for celebration. This is but one of many waves that no doubt stand before us and our goal.”

“Bring them on. I’m feeling more alive now than I’ve had in years!” Tevar declared already starting to move forward, “I could be rotting away on the couch and a bottle of ole Jack, but no, I’m helping an archangel clear out a bunch of old bones on a quest for an ancient tomb!”

Aladria chuckled some, shooting Imperius a small look, “Have we made ourselves more tolerable at least?”

Imperius turned away with a huff, “Perhaps.”

That was the part that concerned him, that he was getting…fond of these two. He blamed it on the fact there were no other angels about and the aching loneliness that had started to color his resonance found some sort of comfort in their mindless chatter even if they were creatures born of unholy unions thousands of years ago. Angels were, after all, more social rather than secluded. Even Malthael relied on the presence of other to some extent as in his isolation, he had fallen to madness. To be left alone was to succumb to the most wretched voices of one’s own resonance. 

He couldn’t help the sting of irritation though that remained, directed towards himself for getting fond of these two regardless. 

They moved forward within the gloom, clearing out any undead that moved against them, although, the greatest problem was that the labyrinth below the cathedral had collapsed in places, forcing them to find different routes towards the source of the resonance Imperius was tracking. The piles of rubble could not be cleared due to the risk of collapsing the whole of the structure down upon their heads as it was more than apparent the place was barely holding together. From the feel of the air, it was probably more magical means that was keeping the structure up more so than physical ones.   
As they descended deeper, the air was only growing thicker and the darkness was almost suffocating and yet with each horde of undead, with each shrieking ghoul and wailing spirit, they drew closer to their goal. Another horde fell before them, the skeletal archers nothing but dust, and Tevar let out a laugh, resting the crossbow against his shoulder.

“Well another successful battle eh? We are just slicing through these bone fucks!” 

Aladria sighed, shooting Tevar a withering look, “We aren’t doing that much, Tevar. We only got this far because Imperius’s strength counts for a hundred times our own.” 

Tevar huffed as they continued forward, the gloom creeping away from the light of Imperius’s wings, “Yes well, he doesn’t count. He’s like a million years old and probably punched Hell in the face or some shit while we are just getting started pushing over skeletons.”

“I have never punched Hell in the face. It is a place, not a thing,” Imperius drawled, his pace slowing as they began to approach an intricately carved stone door. “I have only struck against the prime and lesser evils in various engagements.” 

“You fought prime evils. Bam! Punched Hell in the face,” Trevar defended, eyeing the door, “So, I suppose this means we found the final boss before we find Tyrael’s tomb?”

“The boss?” Imperius turned his head to regard the man, wings lifting some, “What do you mean?”

“You know…the boss. The final bad guy before the prize. I mean, in every video game or movie and story, always some big fight right before they get to where they need to,” Tevar explained, with a shrug, “So guessing there is something big and nasty right before we find Tyrael’s tomb.” 

Imperius stared at Tevar before turning back to the door with a scoffing noise, “This is not one of your stories Tevar. There is nothing beyond these doors but more of the same and a tomb.”

“No? Then why do all the stories of your time end with these big duels against some powerful beast right before the climax?” Tevar demanded.

A growl escaped Imperius as he pushed open the doors with a little more force than intended, gaze fixed on Tevar as he stepped forward, “No, that is not always how it-“

His words were cut off by a horrific, almost metallic roar as the guardian of the tomb within activated upon the opening of the door. Tevar just grinned wide, brimming with smugness that Imperius, for now ignore. He would not give Tevar the satisfaction of being right. 

The guardian of the tomb was of heavenly creation, a figure that was little more than armor and stone, given life and imbued with the simple will to stand guard. Such guardians were just starting to be employed in battle against Hell when Imperius had fallen and been sealed. It was part of some cooperation bid with humanity to create war machines to help turn the tides of battle. 

Apparently the behemoths had outlasted those that had created them, nor did their creators, in their infinite mortal wisdom, design them to recognize friend from foe it seemed as the creation unleashed a burst of energy directed at the trio of intruders. 

The Archangel moved quickly, grabbing onto Tevar and Aladria and dodging aside. The scholar let out a cry as she hit the ground with a wince, although Tevar was quick to roll back to his feet, whirling around towards the metal behemoth, “The fuck is that!?”

Imperius did not answer the man’s question, instead charging forward towards the construct, vanishing and appearing about the battlefield as the guardian brought it fists down in an effort to try and hit the archangel. Aladria and Tevar hung back, only for a moment before the later was pulling down his shotgun and letting out a volley with a shout. The crack of the gun sent a spray of explosive rounds against the metal behemoth and in a few places it managed to puncture, but it did nothing to slow the construct down. 

A guttural roar echoed within its hollow body as it turned its attention towards the two humans, even more so when a splash of lightning raced over its form, causing faint disruptions of the energy that fueled it. The Distraction though was enough for Imperius to leap up, rising above the monstrous construct and bringing his spear down into its back. The spear tore through the armor, energy bleeding out of the gash but not quite enough to bring it down. 

The construct roared, lashing about in an effort to dislodge the stalwart archangel who clung to his spear with one hand, the other gripping at the gash to pull it open wider. Another crack of thunder ripped through the air as another bolt of lightning struck against the construction and another round of explosives tore into its front. Tevar was moving quickly, almost impossibly fast like a shadow as he laid down heavy fire. Aladria had hung back, throwing what little power she had at the construct as sweat beaded out on her forehead from the exertion. 

The constant attacks were keeping it distracted and worn, but Imperius knew time was not on their side and he needed to bring it down quickly. He drew back into the air once more, pulling Solaris free. He held the spear aloft now in one hand, letting his energy build into his weapon, his entire form growing red-hot with his fury and indomitable will. The spear left his hand as he threw it at the behemoth. Solaris struck true, ripping through the head of the creation and splitting down into its chest with an earsplitting crack. The construct let out a gurgling, keening wail as the energy within it was burned out, dissipating and leaving nothing but an empty shell to collapse to the ground with a thundering crash.

The room fell completely silent save for the soft hiss of smoke rising from the charred cracked shell of the tomb guardians ruined head and chest. All of that was broken by Tevar’s laugh as he came over, giving a small kick to the vanquished foe, “Told ya. Final boss time.”

“Quiet. No one wishes to hear your dithering,” Imperius hissed, shoulders tense as he turned to stalk away, “It was nothing to defeat.”

“Oh come now, it took you two shots, not one, to bring it down. A little more difficult than usual!” Tevar teased, following after the archangel. 

“Speak again and I will demonstrate again how I defeated that construct.” Imperius snarled. 

Aladria smiled, shaking her head at their squabbling, “Let’s keep our eyes on the prize then yes? The tomb of Tyrael lies ahead correct?”

Imperius glanced over towards her, armor still flushed a bit red from his flair of anger, but he forced himself to calm before nodding. He looked ahead to the small doorway, once blocked by the construct, feeling the strong hum of the remnants of a familiar resonance.

“Yes. He is here.”

“…is his skeleton going to rise up and duel us?” Trevar asked, glancing around Imperius towards the doorway the archangel was now striding towards, “Because I mean, seems like everything else in this tomb keeps rising from the dead.”

“No. Tyrael’s spirit would not stay bound to his body like what can happen with mortals. We always return to the arch upon death to be reborn, usually in a different form. As long as there is will enough for a light song, new angels can be called from the remnants of the fallen.”

Imperius picked up his pace, entering the tomb and pausing only a moment to take in the sparsely decorated room and the large tomb that before him. It was not a grand tomb, not like what many mortals received, and that was either something done upon request, or indicated the tomb was created in somewhat of a haste. He approached the tomb and swiped his hand over the lip, brushing aside dust to take in the carving upon the lid. A sound of disgust slipped from Imperius at seeing they had carved Tyrael’s mortal likeness upon it, rather than what he had looked like as an angel. Just another testimate to how little it seemed Tyrael probably cared for his heritage. Imperius gripped the edge of the tomb lid and with a snarl, threw the lid off to reveal the contents within. Tevar let out a low whistle while Aladria’s eyes widened in wonder.

“This is…this is amazing!” 

The body within had long since turned to nothing but brittle bones framed within a suit of still impressive armor that glimmered in the light of Imperius’s wings. Every detail of the armor was still there, still brilliant despite the slight wear of age. The cloth parts had since yellowed and grown brittle with age. Beside the figure, a sword lay wrapped up, hiding its soft glow from the world and within the grasp of the corpse, was a large book, meticulously bound and wrapped to help preserve it through the ages. The very sight brought a strange hollow pang to Imperius’s resonance, gazing upon the mortal corpse of the one he once considered a brother in arms. 

“This armor, the details of it, the hand that crafted it must have been…I can’t imagine the time and technique needed!” Aladria murmured, leaning in to inspect the armor before her gaze was drawn to the sword, her eyes widening even more, “That…is that!”

“The armor was not forged by any mortal hands, but formed by the energy of the arch.” Imperius responded tersely, reaching forward to move the arms away from the book the corpse grasped. The movement caused a few of the finger bones to break off and collapse to dust and earn a disapproving frown from Aladria which went ignored , “And yes, that is his sword.” 

“He must have been well known as a scholar. Typically elements of a person’s most noble characteristics are placed upon the chest,” Aladria sighed, looking away from the slight destruction of archeological evidence to gaze over the rest of Tyrael’s armor.

Imperius snorted, “He was not wise, though he would argue he was and his mortal form gave him perspectives that were better than any in Heaven. He was justice. He was a warrior, not a guide. What he did to himself when he fell and became mortal was to try and be something he never was meant to be. He could never change the song of his resonance, even if he did hide it within a new mortal form.”

He ran his hand over the cover, brushing off the dust before cracking it open carefully. The language was finally something more familiar and comforting and he found himself tracing a finger over the picture of the roaring demon that had been meticulously penned, feeling a pang once more within his core. He had forgotten Tyrael had always had a somewhat artistic flare to his resonance, although it had always been Inarius who was more a visionary and master of the craft. Even now, he could see the small errors Tyrael had made in the anatomy of the beast, remembering in better times how he would always point them out just to get on the nerves of the aspect of justice.

It was memories like those that made him wonder how had everything fall apart from those treasured times? When had it all gone wrong to the point they held each other in nothing but mutual contempt?

A sudden shudder to the room around them had Imperius looking up sharply, his senses stretching out as Tevar tensed, bringing his crossbow up.

“Another boss?”

“No.” Imperius murmured, “They are here.”

Above them, he could sense the demons, how their evil seemed to stream down into the depths and also a familiar dark aura he couldn’t quite place. It was so achingly familiar that it had Imperius’s very resonance shuddering in extreme distaste. However, there was no time to muse on who or what he was feeling, not if they meant to leave this place alive. Quickly the archangel of valor shut the book, shoving it into Aladria’s hands, “Take the armor and El’druin and pack it up! I will not let those fiends get their hands upon the remains of Tyrael. A sacrilegious fool or not, even he does not deserve to have his armor and weapon fall into the hands of evil.”

“So take the skeleton too? Because I’m pretty sure I’m going to break it if I move the armor,” Tevar murmured.

“The body matters not! All that is an angel’s form is bound within armor and weapon, not within flesh!” Imperius hissed, “Just do it!”

Trevar glanced over at Aladria, giving her an apologetic look before reaching into the tomb with a grimace, yanking the armor up and over the side with a loud clunk. The bones snapped and broke, showering dust upon the man. He coughed, but managed to get his bag open, starting to grab and force pieces of the armor into the bag. Aladria stared in horror, but she did not question what was going on, simply moving to put the book away carefully into its wrappings and then into her pack before moving to lift El’druin.

“So light. I would expect the sword of justice to be heavy,” She murmured, jumping as another tremor raced through the structure.

“It will adjust to the one who wields it. It will never weight heavy unless a beast of Hell attempts to lift it.”

The archangel of valor scanned the tomb, shoulders tensed before he moved towards the doorway, “Come, there should be a waypoint within these depths.”

“A waypoint?” Tevar asked, shoving the last piece of armor into the backpack. 

“Ancient gateways, so the legends say, that allowed you to rapidly move from place to place. I thought they were merely legends,” Aladria murmured, “Or at the least, no longer worked or destroyed.”

Imperius tensed at the news, but shook his head, “They will work for a nephelem or those with power to use them. It will work for you. Trust in that.”

It was the only thing to trust in as the alternative was to be trapped down here and buried alive by the tremor demons moving upon the surface about them, slamming their mass against the roof in an effort to collapse them in. The demons dared not face him directly and with how fast the cathedral was starting to crumble, they did not have the time to escape out the way they had come in.

“Come, we have no time to debate this. Move!”

Imperius rushed out the door, Aladria on his heels and Tevar struggling a bit to get the pack of armor onto his back before huffing after them. The dark seemed more threatening now as it shook and groaned about them. A sense of evil, once banished from the labyrinth, seemed to snake its way in once more, whispering and murmuring of vile intent. Imperius felt no fear, his gaze steady and forward and truly there was only a growing dissonance of anger against the situation. Behind him, Aladria trailed, face white with fear and blind hope being the only thing keeping her going after Imperius. Tevar’s gaze was steady, fixed ahead as he ignored the falling debris and cracking of stone as the place shook more, a thin frown on his lips as he kept up.

Imperius came to a halt, dropping to a knee at a peculiar raised platform, cracked with age and a weathered stone circle set in the floor. A brush of his hand revealed the glimmering blue crystals that still held faint energy and a wave of relief washed over him. The archangel rose and moved to stand in the center, whirling around and gesturing to his companions, “Quickly!”

The two stumbled on, Aladria wheezing as she put her hands on her knees briefly before she jumped, eyes wide as a glimmer of energy erupted in the worn blue stones at the edges. Imperuis gripped onto both of them, hope rising as he le looked to Aladria. Another surge of tremors caused Tevar to overbalancing and yelping, only to be pulled back on by Imperius’s steely grip.

“Focus on a location! Close your eyes and focus Aladria!”

The scholar jumped at his orders, but closed her eyes tight, teeth gritted, “How!?”

“You should see it! A map in your mind!” Imperius roared back, cursing as the floor shifted as pillars somewhere below began to buckle under the onslaught of the demons above upon the cathedral. 

Aladria was silent for a few breathless moments before she started, “I..yes! I see something but it is broken, incomplete and-“

“Just go somewhere! Pick something!” Tevar screamed, clutching onto Imperius, “Just go!”

The curator sucked in a breath, clutching her staff tight, Imperius’s hand tight upon her shoulder and then the area around them flashed away, just as the floor gave way beneath them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFFHANGER! You'll see what became of em in the next chapter....and the next chapter is a BIG one with BIG things about to go down!


	8. Homecoming

The roar of falling rocks was replaced by the howl of the wind and the darkness that had been pressing in about them suddenly gave way to blinding light and crushing heat. Imperius dropped his hand from Aladria’s shoulder, looking around, and his wings flaring out defensively for a moment as he took in where they had ended up. The air was horrendously dry and even he could feel the heat of the sun beating down upon his armor. All around was shifting sands and endless dunes. Only the waypoint on which they stood, now activated and blasted free of sand seemed to be the only structure standing within the sea of sand. Thankfully, he could detect no other signs of life and for now at least, they were relatively safe.

His companions though were not as comforted by the burning hot stretches of wasteland around them. 

“A desert? You dropped us in a fucking desert?” Tevar exclaimed shooting Aladria a look.

“I’m sorry! I just went for it like you told me to! I didn’t know where it would go!” Aladria protested, sweat already breaking out on her brow. “We could use it again to go somewhere else!”

“Yeah? The next one might be the bottom of an ocean! Or the bowels of a Triune-Mart! Or…fuck, maybe just drop us into Hell itself!” Tevar let out a loud groan as he sunk down to the ground in a sitting position, “Instead of being crushed, now we are going to bake…”

Imperius let out a huff, his armor heating up as he nudged the man with a foot, “We are out of harm’s way and far from where any demon will find us. The desert is not going to kill you unless you actively seek to go get lost in the dunes,” The archangel drawled, “But be cheered. If this book contains what information I seek, then we will soon be able to unlock the way to Heaven.”

Both of the humans stared at Impeirus but was only Tevar who spoke up, shaking his head, “Read a whole book in a desert? We’ll die of hunger and thirst first of all and what if there is no way huh? Or we have to go somewhere else? You don’t know it has the answers!”

“I do not bother with such trivial fears. I know it will be there.” Imperius snapped back before turning towards Aladria and yanking El’druin out of her pack, “And you will not starve nor suffer for water. The blade of justice can sustain its wielder as long as it is held.” 

He had remembered vaguely that Tyrael has often sustained his mortal form during long periods of battle on the energy of the sword rather than eating, sleeping, or partaking of less savory duties of being a mortal, although as soon as the blade was put aside, those needs seemed to return with a vengeance. Hopefully El’druin’s power would sustain these two for as long as necessary, or at least something could be done to better abate their many needs.

Imperius unwrapped the blade looking down upon it and feeling a slight stirring of nostalgia within his soul. The sword reminded him of Tyrael, back before Sanctuary, when the two of them had reveled in the Eternal Conflict. The archangel let out a soft sigh before pulled the blade from its sheath before handing it pommel first to the two mortals before him, “Trust in El’druin. Despite the many faults of its holder, the sword has always served true when needed the most.”

Tevar and Aladria shared a skeptical look, but neither protested. Aladria took up the hilt gingerly before moving to sit with Tevar, the blade across both their laps and both of them keeping a hand on it.

“And what about the heat?” Tevar drawled, “Heat exhaustion can still happen. You didn’t mention the sword acting as AC that’s for sure.”

Aladria just shook her head as she carefully took out the book, carefully opening it up and looking over the text on the first pages, running a finger along the now ancient language. Imperius snorted, spreading his wings before starting to make a motion as if to flap them. A sudden cool wind seemed to spring up, gently rolling over the two and dispelling some of the heat. Aladria glanced up to offer a smile while Tevar murmured out a quick thank you. The archangel of valor merely shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You mortals are so…needy.” Imperius grumbled, “How do you get anything done when you have so many things that has be right for you to do anything at all?”

“An impressive amount of multi-tasking.”

Tevar chuckled as Imperius merely stared at him, and the scholar sitting beside the cheeky man simply sighed hunching over the book, shaking her head. For his part, Tevar smiled lazily as he leaned back to rest on his palms, enjoying the cool breeze Imperius was providing as he glanced over to the words on the book. His smile faded a bit and his brow furrowed in slight confusion.

“C can you even read that?” He finally asked after a few moments, glancing up to her.

“I can yes. I learned how to read ancient texts. Some of it is hard to parse I will admit, but I know enough of the vocabulary to parse the meaning of what is written. “Her smile dimmed a bit as she sighed, thumbing through a few pages, “But I notice a lack of a table of contents, or appendix or even page numbers. This Tyrael doesn’t seem to be a fan of well, organizing what he wrote.” 

“I did mention that he fancied himself a scholar, not that he actually ever was one,” Imperius drawled, crossing his arms, “He was no Ithereal or Malthael, careful in how he recorded things. He was the sort to follow sudden passions.”

Aladria gave a distracted nod as she turned the page, pausing on a picture of an angel that was being ripped apart by hooks and chains. She shivered before turning the page again. Here, she paused, pursing her lips thoughtfully for a few seconds before glancing up at Imperius.

“About our ancestors,” she began slowly, “I know you did not think highly of them but, you did bear witness to their power yes?”

“More than I would care to do so.” Imperius growled. “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” She sighed, glancing away and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, “Could our ancestors…find things? Or see things? Like a power that aided in locating information?”

Imperius tilted his head, wings flaring a bit even as they flapped, “Some had a power of visions yes. Some more than others. There were those that claimed to see the future and others that had uncanny abilities in finding items. I suppose it is an ability that can manifest.”

“Could it be forced to manifest?” She inquired, arching an eyebrow.

“I would not know. I did not take much interest or delight in knowing how the powers of the devil spawned nephelem developed,” Imperius drawled.

Aladria sighed, sweat dripping down her face which she quickly mopped up with her sleeve, “I understand…just…I want to try and see if I can focus some power…magic, what have you, to search out the information in the book rather than trying to read it all.”

Imperius mused on her words for a moment before he gave a small nod, “I suppose it is an idea.”

That response earned a small smile from Aladria and she dipped her head some before taking up the make-shift staff. She stared down at the pages before bringing the staff just above it, biting her lip nervously. 

“Don’t set the book on fire,” Tevar snickered.

Aladria shot him a dark look, “Imperius, I beseech you, would you bury him in the sand up to his neck?”

That earned a dark chuckle from Imperius as he crossed his arms, leaning in some towards Tevar who promptly backed away, “That is perhaps the first request a mortal has ever made that I would most graciously accept.” 

Tevar held up both hands, grimacing, “Hey hey, no need for that. I’ll be good.”

Aladria chuckled some before closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she sat there, still with the tip of the staff over the book. At first, nothing seemed to be happening other than the wind gently rolling sand over the pages. Then slowly, the page began to lift, as if held by an invisible hand and turned. A few seconds later it turned again. Then again. Soon the pages were flipping along rapidly coming to a halt at a page and the words upon it seemed to glow with a faint light. Aladria quickly opened her eyes to look down in wonder at what she had achieved while, Tevar chuckled, giving her a nudge, “Well look at you!”

She smiled brightly, looking up at Imperius before looking down at what was on the page, running a finger along the script. The smile dimmed some, replaced by a contemplative look, “Hmm…. An odd passage. It says here the gates of Heaven were barred…locked? It is hard to determine. But it seems to imply most angels chose to live among mortals in Sanctuary.”

“What?” Imperius growled, crouching down to look over her shoulder, scanning the text, “Why would they do that?”

“I have no idea but…it says that the only key that still works is the key lies with wisdom and is what justice left behind.” Aladria murmured thoughtfully before expression fell.

“This Tyrael guy sure loves to be cryptic…but it sounds like the key might be in some other tomb,” Tevar said with a shake of his head.

“No, I don’t believe so.” Imperius responded, rising to his feet, “Wisdom. Tyrael was the aspect of wisdom. The answer lies with him.”

“So in the tomb we left that is probably buried.” Tevar groaned flopping back, “Just our luck.”

Imperius growled, wings flaring and his armor flushing red, “We have the key you fool. If you would stop complaining for a moment you would realize what the key was!”

The archangel of valor was brash and prone to his outbursts, but he was by no means a fool. The mortals may be puzzling through what was written, but they had not lived in the time of their ancestors. If they had, the answer would be terribly obvious. Tyrael was wisdom, but he was once justice and although he had abandoned much when he fell from Heaven, he had not abandoned one part of his old title. 

Imperius moved to pick up El’druin, holding the blade and staring into its still glowing core. Even with Tyrael’s death, the blade still sang with his familiar resonance. There was power and will yet within El’druin that was more akin to what the archangel of justice was supposed to be, not what he had become. Behind the archangel, the two mortals rose to their feet, Tevar murmuring something under his breath while Aladria peered at Imperius curiously, quietly awaiting some answer.

None came from Imperius. All his thoughts were on the small sliver of hope that within his hands, he finally had a means to return home.

“El’druin, if you are indeed the key, please, grant me your strength to return to Heaven. There has never been a path you could not reveal nor an enemy you could not vanquish or trial you could not overcome. Please, once more let your light unbar the way,” He murmured softly. 

The sword did not answer, or, at least, did not answer with words but there was a faint hum and a brighter glow to the blade’s core. The glow brought a warmth to Imperius’s own resonance, although it was tainted by a melancholy ache as it brought with it memories so far gone and shattered by the losses suffered from the day Sanctuary was discovered. He was quick to brush those memories aside for another time to muse.

. The archangel of Valor held El’druin aloft, letting the sword sing out with its own call. His own resonance twisted and melded with that of the blade to bolster its power further, reaching out for the gates of Heaven and its heralding call. For a breathless moment, the silence persisted. Then, a soft hum, so weak that Imperius had nearly missed it began to echo. The archangel had jolted some, going tense as the soft returning echo of the Crystal Arch after what felt like an eternity of being unable to feel it. A swell of excitement, relief, and hope rose in his chest as the song of El’druin was able to reach Heaven. Now all that was left was to open the gate. 

Imperius brought El’druin down abruptly, the light of the core blazing brighter. A thin glowing line had appeared in the air before them, shimmering before finally widening into the familiar glow of a portal. The surface of the portal fluctuated before revealing the familiar spires of Heaven, lit up by the eternal sunlight that poured in from above. Behind him was a sharp gasp from Aladria as she covered her mouth, wide eyes as she took in the splendor shown within the surface of the portal. Even Tevar was speechless, mouth hanging agape as he gawked.

For Imperius, just to see Heaven was still whole without any signs of corruption so far had his soul keening loudly in a song of hope. He was finally home after so long.

Imperius wasted little time in pushing forward through the portal, the two mortals quickly following him through. The oppressive heat of the desert melted away to be replaced by the eternal balmy climate of the High Heavens. There was an ever present gentle breeze that moved the air pleasantly about and the sound of unseen chimes tinkled gently from nearby. As soon as all three had passed through, the portal collapsed behind them and none still said a word. There was a sense of awe to be respected and a reverence of victory to be savored. The mortals were turning about, taking in all of the majesty of heaven, however, Imperius stood as if he had turned to stone, trembling as he took in the familiar sights of his home.

For so long he had been away. His resonance was a mess of emotions, enough that his wings were practically bleeding energy in greater waves which was as close to tears as an angel could be. The overwhelming relief of seeing his home whole and the joy at feeling the arch directly again was almost too much to take in after so much silence. It was all still so familiar from the towering spires that seemed carved of alabaster and gold and the elegant bridges that criss-crossed between them all. The gardens about them still glowed with a soft blue, but warm light of hope with trickling fountains and cascades bubbling along winding paths. 

Everything seemed as he had left it on the surface, but even as Imperius took it in with a feeling of relief, a trembling chord of concern was starting to rise. The gardens bore the signs of being unkempt and not properly tended to in a long time as the many plants had overgrown their barriers and crept along the floors and walls more in twisted patterns. There was a touch of decay to the golden trims of buildings, a light layer of tarnish slowly spreading. 

Above all else though, Heaven was far too silent.

No angels came to greet him or to even investigate the intrusion to their realm pass the great gates. Not a whisper of a resonance echoed in Heaven and even as Imperius reached out now, there was barely even a breath of the arch’s once vibrant song. The decay of the place was not one of taint, but of ages of terrible neglect that was unprecedented. That sour note of alarm began to overshadow the brief moment of relief and joy he had felt as his wings tightened close to his body once more.

Imperius didn’t say a word as he dropped El’druin and took to wing, rocketing up pass the spires towards the Crystal Arch, ignoring the protests of the mortals below. 

There was a small tremor of relief to see the Crystal Arch still stood, although it was noticeably tarnished, as if age had somehow weathered its surface without angels about to tend it. The archangel of valor landed at the peak of the arch, afraid he would find some lingering corruption or signs of an attack that would explain the weakness of the arch. Yet even as he crouched down to touch the gently glowing white surface of the Crystal Arch, letting his resonance hum with it, he could feel none of the demonic taint of Hell, nor any indication of the Nephelem’s touch. It was just…weak. Much weaker than it should be. If felt more as if it had become ill or aged from neglect, its energies siphoned away for some other purpose. It was more than a little alarming. Imperius withdrew his hand and rose to his feet, trembling as his mind raced with thoughts, his confusion mounting, and a strange buzz of panicked anger starting to well up within him.

Heaven did not appeared to have been attacked, but it was clear no angels had been there in centuries, perhaps even millennium. It sat empty and uncared for, more like a relic or tomb than his once thriving homeland. 

There was no one here. There were no angels in Heaven save for himself.

Imperius trembled more, wings pulling tight to his back in subconscious desire for comfort. Anger and confusion swirl up inside of him as it began to sink in that he was perhaps the last angel that still lived and that although Heaven hadn’t fallen to Hell, that some calamity had left it bare, detached from all things save for a sword. His thoughts swirled, returning to what Aladria had said about his kin leaving Heaven and his anger rose to a new panicked fueled fury. He took to the air again quickly, dropping back down to where Tevar and Aladria still stood, the former jumping as he was drawn from where he had been staring off at the vista of Heaven’s spires. 

The archangel did not say a word, stalking over to Aladria and all but pulling her up off the ground by the front of her shirt, “What did the book say has happened to Heaven?! Where are my kin? Where has the heavenly host gone to!? What has happened!? Why am I the last of my kind!?”

“Hey! No need for this!” 

Imperius jolted, practically hissing as Tevar put a hand on his forearm. The mortal though did not bulk at the fury of the archangel, meeting his gaze and giving a slow shake of his head, “Just put her down. I know you are upset, but you don’t have to threaten us. I thought we were past this stage at least.”

Aladria nodded, both hands on Imperius’s wrist and offering a wobbly smile, “We can figure this out together. Just like we figured out how to get here together. We want to help, Imperius, not be your enemy.”

A snarl escaped Imperius, unable to keep from trembling, but he set her down again and stepped back. The archangel was practically radiating heat with how red his armor had become from the torrid of emotions running hot within him. He wasn’t calming down although some voice at the back of his mind was realizing he was simply lashing out as some outlet to the unwanted mix of emotions burning at his core. He jabbed a demanding finger towards Aladria, “I want to know what happened! Look in the book now! If you do not-”

Tevar sighed, moving to step between Aladria and Imperius, putting both hands on the archangel’s breastplate, wincing at the heat radiating from the archangel, “Listen Imperius just….just calm down. I know you are upset, that this is a huge shock and things seem a huge mess, but screaming and threatening aren’t going to solve anything. Aladria will help you without the threats. I’ll help you without threats. You can’t always let anger be your first reaction. You can’t just-you can’t just cover up fear with another emotion.” 

Imperius was trembling, wanting nothing more than to throw Tevar across the ground and scream at him, to blame his race for all of this. That without the nephelem, Heaven would be fine, that his brethren would be here, that he wouldn’t always feel so out of control of his own emotions all the time. Yet there was one solitary, horrible fact that now stayed his hand and had him holding back the torrent of hatred he wanted to unleash against all of mortal kind. 

He was alone. He was absolutely and utterly alone save for these two humans that stayed with him despite the outbursts and his admittedly disdainful treatment of them. If they were to leave, he would be utterly alone again with naught but memories to stem off the aching silence. He did not hate them, not like other mortals of the past, not like the nephelem. They were perhaps the only companions, the only friends he had left.

It was the small thought of not wanting to push them away entirely that caused him to step back, clenching his hands and trying to reign in his emotions.

A hiss escaped him, as he turned away from the two, still trembling slightly, “ I do not feel fear. I am the archangel of valor, mortal. Do not dare try to accuse me of being capable of feeling such a wretched emotion.” He finally spat out, “Do not accuse me of being the same as you mortals.” 

Aladria shared a glance with Tevar before she stepped forward, offering a small smile, “We aren’t. Humans just sometimes like to well, put human ideas to things.” She said softly, “How about now we just get more information for now. Are there any libraries in Heaven? If there is, we could use that as a resource in addition to the book of Tyrael.”

“Sounds like a plan. You could handle that, Aladria and I and Imperius can go on a mission,” Tevar said, shoving his hands in his pockets, “We will need some supplies to stay up here in Heaven with our many mortal needs after all. Might give him some time to cool off.”

“What?” Imperius growled, looking to Tevar. 

The man met his gaze with a steady one of his own, smiling and not rising to any bait to get upset and refraining from making his usual cheeky barbs, “You and I go back down with El’druin, get some food so we humans don’t starve, maybe a few sleeping bags or air mattresses. By the time we get back with all that we need, she might have found something.” His reached out then to pat Imperius’s arm and ignoring how the archangel tensed up just a tad at the contact, “She’ll work better without us hovering over her shoulder. You know those bookworm types yeah?”

“I do not.” Imperius hissed, wings flaring, “I want to remain here and-“

“Oh don’t be like that Imperius. We go down. Get some stuff, maybe find a demon for you to strangle and scream at, then we are back here. You are cooled off, then we got a cooler head to plan.” Tevar interrupted. “You can’t go about restoring Heaven spewing hate and curses like a mad witch yeah?”

Imperius simmered, glowering at Tevar but he did not move against him. He did not like that this human was giving him orders or the fact that for once, the rather abrasive bastard was talking and making sense. It reminded him of….Tyrael. Or at least the Tyrael he had known before it had all gone wrong.

The Tyrael that had been able to abate his worse spats of anger. 

That thought took a wave of anger off of Imperius as melancholy began to trickle once more into his soul. He let out a frustrated sigh as he yanked his arm away from Tevar’s grasp, “I will go but we will not take long.”

“In and out. Easy peasy.” Trevar promised with a smile, “Just as long as you trust me to be the one going into the stores. I ah, think you would raise eyebrows unless we were near some sort of convention.”

Aladria smiled, hefting up the book of Tyrael in her arms, “And I’ll go about parsing through the book but ah, again, Imperius, is there a library? The legends say that there was a great library of fate within Heaven…”

“There is. I will escort you there.” He paused, turning away as a reluctant note entered his voice, “Ithereal would have felt honored to have a fellow scholar in his halls. That is the only reason I take you there now.”

“Whatever the reason, I am honored Imperius.”

A grunt was all that was given in response as he began to lead the way by foot towards the library of faith. Each step seemed to echo even more so, reminding Imperius of just how empty Heaven was. There were no cries of the younger angels getting into trouble with their elders, no clashing of weapons from the training grounds. Even the gentle hum of Auriel and her attendants as they moved about the garden was gone. Nothing was right and all of it sat heavily on his shoulders. If only he had not fallen, if he had been here, he knew without a doubt that this empty mockery of the Heaven would not have come to pass if he had been here to stop whatever calamity had happened. 

It did not take long at least to reach the library, pristine as always and Imperius was relieved to see that the strange pockets of fate that had once been appearing seemed to have retreated. It was at least one comfort and one last problem to worry about. He stood aside, gesturing for Aladria to enter, “There are texts here you might be able to read but most of the records were kept within crystals that were accessible only by the resonance of angels.” He paused, glancing to Tevar who now had El’druin strapped to his back, “Perhaps if you use El’druin as a medium, you might be able to access those as well.”

“I will try, thank you.” She said as she moved past him and into the library, only pausing for Tevar to hand off El’druin to her. For a moment the scholar stood there, looking over the sword, biting her lip before glancing up at Imperius, “I’m sure there are other angels. Perhaps in hiding. The world hasn’t gone completely to evil and darkness. The demons still need to hide so maybe well….maybe there is some light, some good still.”

Her features flushed some before she quickly entered into the library. Imperius merely watched her go, huffing softly before turning towards Tevar, crossing his arms, “So where do we even need to go?”

“No thank you or apology to her?” Tevar drawled, “You’ve been man-handling her worse than me and you aren’t going to apologize? She is being far nicer than I would be after getting a second throttling. The first one? Eh, fair, I’ll give it to you. The second one? Fuck no.”

Imperius sighed in irritation, squaring his shoulders, “Do you wish to go on this errand or not? I am very much content to stay her and not bother at all.”

Tevar eyed Imperius some before letting out a sigh and looking away with a shake of his head, “Fine fine. Let’s get going then, but ah, one question. How are we getting back if she has the sword?”

“I will see about making sure that Solaris too can unbar Heaven. Once the spellwork for the locking mechanism is found, it should take only a few moments to change.” Imperius growled out, stalking past Tevar, “This is a far easier affair to handle from within Heaven.”

It was something he was still curious about himself as really, such a thing should not be completely possible, what with Heaven’s link to Pandemonium. The realm that stretched between Heaven and Hell had always been a bridge neither side could burn, thus even if Heaven was barred, trickles of resonance should have cascaded in as bleed off from Pandemonium. Had something happened to that twisted realm as well?

A gnawing curiosity began to fill his resonance as he began to head towards the ramparts above the Diamond Gates. From there he would at least be able to see some of Pandemonium and assess if anything had afflicted the strange realm between Heaven and Hell. Not to mention he could see if there were any breaches of the gate that could give clues as to what had happened. 

The archangel wasn’t even aware of how fast he was walking until Tevar came half jogging up to his side, just to keep up with him, “What’s the rush?” The man huffed. “You act like we are being besieged or something.”

Imperius didn’t grace him with an answer, merely quickening his pace a bit as he took the stairs to the ramparts two at a time. The fact he was walking at all was the only small concession he was giving to Tevar at the moment. 

The archangel only came to a halt as he reached the upper ramparts, looking out over the landscape. Or, rather, the lack of anything beyond. There was no swirling clouds of dust of Pandemonium, no twisted and warped stone, blasted from generations of war. Where the battlegrounds of Pandemonium should have been stretched only a yawning emptiness, filled only with twisting, pulsating energy and the creeping corruption of the void itself. Imperius’s felt his resonance spark in alarm at the sight. The amount of power that was needed to do this was...unimaginable. The destruction of an entire world, especially one that had linked Heaven and Hell since the creation of both was supposed to be impossible, something only conceived in the minds of the mad. The archangel found himself at a loss for words, even as Tevar came up beside him, panting softly.

“Whole lot of nothing out there it seems,” the mortal commented dryly. “We coming up here to stare into the pulsating void?”

“There should be something here, not this void.” Imperius murmured, grip tight on the rampart. “From here one could always look over the battlefield of Pandemonium and the fortress that stood at its peak.”

Trevar arched a slight eyebrow before looking out over the twisted, empty void, “Well looks like something did a number on it.”

“I don’t think it was a something,” Imperius murmured. “It was a someone.” 

Imperius remembered the nephalem and how powerful they were becoming. Perhaps with time, they had gained power enough to destroy Pandemonium so completely. Even if that was true though, for what reason would they do such a thing? What would the destruction of Pandemonium have done to the fabric of reality? This event was just one of many pieces in a slowly unraveling puzzle before the archangel. He knew that the destruction of Pandemonium was linked to the desertion of Heaven and perhaps even linked to the fact the nephelem had once more lost their power and remained weaker as if under the influence of the world stone. All if it was connected, but for now, how it all fit together remained achingly elusive to Imperius. A sigh slipped out of the archangel as he turned away from the sight, “Too much has changed and too many questions remain unanswered and all there is to rely on is a book as no one is...no one is left.”

Saying those words out loud caused the whole situation to close in around him. He was alone now. Utterly alone. Although fear did not creep into Imperius’s soul, an aching sorrow did, wrapping its tendrils about his resonance and causing an unheard keen of remorse ring out. The only answer to the unheard cry was the hum of the arch, like an ailing parent trying to comfort an only child. The sound of arch humming only had Imperius hunching forward more. His shoulders were tense and wings now tucked in closer.

“You okay?”

The question caused Imperius to whirl away, stalking across the floor, “I am perfectly fine! I am just much loathed to go on this errand of yours!”

Tevar let out a sigh, frowning some, but for now, not pushing Imperius. He merely fell into step behind the archangel, crossing his arms, “Yeah yeah. I know. We humans are nothing but the scourge of the earth with our petty mortal needs. All that aside, how you going to get your weapon to be able to open the doors of Heaven?”

“I will tune it to the crystal arch’s resonance directly, rather than the resonance of the Pandemonium Gate.” He answered with a dismissive wave of his hand, “The reason Solaris did not work before was for that very reason. We have never tuned weaponry directly to the arch, or rather, it was not something done in the past...”

“Any particular reason why?” Trevar asked, arching an eyebrow.

Imperius paused for a moment, head inclined slightly towards the human before he snorted and turned away, stalking away once more, “It was a matter of...importance. We did not want the echoes of war that raised through weapons to sing a new tenor into the crystal arch’s resonance like it had the world stone, but given the circumstances now...what is even the point of trying to avoid it.”

The arch was intact true and still was able to sustain him easily, but it was no longer a pure song. He could detect the weakness of it that came with disuse and of no new angels being sung into existence. There was a sadness now to the song of the Crystal Arch, a malaise and melancholy that caused Imperius’s own resonance to ache. He wondered again where his fellow archangels were or what had happened to them. He could not think of a reason why Ithereal or Auriel would let the arch wither other than something terrible had befallen both.

He was starting to grow so tired of all the mysteries that kept emerging every time he thought he was growing closer to the answers. 

A sigh escaped Imperius as he summoned Solaris to him, letting the warmth within the spear seep into his resonance, welcoming the slight comfort of his familiar weapon, “We will go back to Sanctuary and get supplies as you asked. Then I do not wish to hear you speak.”

“Well, I can’t guarantee I won’t speak given I don't’ want to sit in a corner silently for who knows how long,” Tevar drawled, “But I’ll at least yammer about things what maybe won’t completely vex you.”

“I highly doubt that.”

Still, something about Tevar’s unapologetic sarcasm seemed to lift a sliver of the black mood from Imperius’s shoulders. Just a bit. It was a small, simple irritation he could focus on and get briefly upset about before brushing it aside. Or perhaps it simply reminded Imperius of how he and Tyrael once carried on, teasing and biting remarks thrown at each other across the battleground or even in good-nature across the halls. Back before those comments became more vicious, more barbed, and always ended in the same tired arguements.

It brought a new small pang of loneliness to the archangel’s being, shoulders slumping as he trudged away from the ramparts, “Come along...we are wasting time.”

Tevar pursed his lips and gave a small nod, although it was clear he was not taking the archangel at his word that he was fine. Imperius could practically feel the eyes of the mortal drilling into his back causing him to subconsciously flare his wings in warning. Humans were far too curious about others for their own good and he could only imagine what Tevar was trying to figure out or what about his own behavior had made the man so keen to get involved. It had been a trait he noticed with the nephelem to their peers, that strange desire to be able to know what bothered each other. They were not like angels, able to simply feel one another’s resonance and know their mind and mood. 

Perhaps it was why even with the company of the two humans, he still felt alone. Imperius shook his head though, growling a bit under his breath before stubbornly focusing his thoughts on the work ahead. 

It took longer than Imperius would have liked to find the spell that had been put in place to lock Heaven.   
It took even longer though to be able to get his own spear to act as a key to the now locked Heaven, even more so with more than a few rather unhelpful tips from Tevar the whole time. The archangel had nearly thrown the snarky man right off the spires of Heaven at the height of his frustrations but alas, he refrained and things were settled soon after that. The archangel of valor was a warrior, not a scholar, but Hell would have to freeze over before he would admit that he had never been as skilled as some of his brethren at handling runes.

With Solaris finally attuned to the arch and able to act as a key to Heaven in place of El’druin, they finally departed Heaven for the wretched lands of Sanctuary. This time though, the visit was different. No longer were they skirting the edges of this new world, but were delving into the heart of society, visiting a myriad of stores and buildings. Each visit, Tevar was coming out with more items on hand and strange new devices that had Imperius’s curiosity piqued, although he dared not inspect them while Tevar was watching. Only when the mortal man had left to another store and he was tasked with dropping off the newest bags of purchases off did he paused to sort through them. 

None of it seemed familiar and one of the devices, some sort of time-keeping piece, had started to screech horrendously at him, causing him to all but throw the offending thing across the floor, breaking it into a hundred pieces. 

After that, he refrained from looking at the strange purchases. 

The world Sanctuary had become was more than enough to keep his attention as so much had changed truly since the days of old. The stores were huge, brimming with light. All around were signs that flashed and glowed, advertising everything from items that were somewhat familiar such as food to strange contraptions called phones or data plans. There were so many humans now, all living in these sprawling towns and mammoth buildings. Although he could feel the taint of hell and its evil, it was never present on the surface. The humans simply went about their lives and as much as he loathed to admit it, many that he watched from afar as he awaited Tevar to scurry out of another store lived… normal lives. Very mundane existences of caring for young, providing for themselves, or simply finding something to do to pass the time that was over all innocent. 

This world was different and so much had changed, or, perhaps, he loathed to muse, it was something else that was changing.

“You want anything?”

Imperius glanced up from the park bench he had seated himself upon while waiting for Tevar to return, tilting his head, “What?”

“I’m going to get a bit of fast food from Heaven’s Burgers. Asking if you want anything.”

“Heaven’s Burgers?”

Tevar nodded, gesturing over to a brightly lit building across from the empty park the archangel had remained in to await his companion’s return, “Yeah. I’m starving and they have decent food.”

“Angels do not eat and I would not trust anything that proclaims association with Heaven. These burgers are not something we created.” Imperius growled out.

“Eh, just marketing. Just a way for them to say their food is divine and have combo meals named after archangels.” Tevar chuckled some, “But point still stands. You want anything to eat?”

“Angels do not need to eat.”

“I kind of was getting that vibe but like, can’t you eat it? Does food cause you to explode or something?” Tevar asked curiously.

The archangel scoffed, crossing his arms, “I do not know. I have never attempt to eat any...mortal cuisines. They seemed unappealing. The whole eating thing seems unappealing. You eat the flesh of animals like demons do.”

Tevar gave a small shrug, “Should we then not blame our angelic parents for not giving us their amazing ability to suck in sustenance from the air?”

Imperius snorted, and glanced away, “Go get your food then, mortal. I will remain here.”

Tevar gave a nod before heading to cross the street, leaving Imperius again to his thoughts. The light of the world was fading, although lights were starting to flicker on here and there. He was perhaps a touch grateful for the quiet, although that was quickly broken by a peel of laughter causing the archangel to look up sharply before relaxing. 

A small group of children had come barreling into the park, no doubt just passing through with their guardians on a walk, Imperius supposed. The little mortals were a slight distance off though, already starting to scamper and climb over an arrangement of metal bars and half formed buildings that seemed built intentionally for some sort of recreation. He paid them little mind, huffing some, merely watching out of anything better to do. The little mortals seemed unaware of the danger their play presented when they climbed the highest spires of the playground, showing a foolhardy courage that was…amusing, though he loathed to admit it. 

One of the little pests had managed to get into the branches of a nearby tree, giggling as they climbed higher at the coaxing of their peers below. Where perhaps an older mortal might fear a turn of fear, the little one seemed more curious to keep going despite the obvious dangers that began to creep up as the branches grew smaller and smaller and less able to handle weight. The archangel of valor could see the disaster starting to form and found himself rising to his feet, shoulders tense as the child in the tree reached for a slender branch. 

The wood groaned and the whole branch bowed for a moment, straining against the weight upon it before it gave with a resounding crack. The child’s eyes widened, their mouth opening as a cry built in their throat. 

There was a rush, a reaction, and a sudden surge of heat. A bright streak of light before the child was on the ground, broken branch in hand and mouth still hanging open as if to cry out, although that sound had died in their throat. Their features were now covered by confusion that was matched that of their friends who were gathered around. There was a moment of silence before they burst out into quick gasps and cries of awe, all of them babbling at once it seemed, trying to make sense of how their friend could have fallen and ended up safely on the ground on their own two feet.

Imperius merely watched the exchange from the other side of the park, wings cooling and folding back in close again, feeling a sense of confusion burn in his resonance. Mortals were not his concern, especially their children. A hurt or dead child meant one less mortal to worry about and yet…he had reacted. Without a thought, he had caught the child and gotten them to the ground safely, all in the blink of an eye. Perhaps one or two of the children might have seen him and would have a story later to regale their parents with, but he had still saved a mortal child.

A part of him wanted to laugh almost. If Tyrael had seen that, he would have probably accused Imperius of being an imposter. The archangel turned his back on the loud, now rowdy pack of children rushing off no doubt to their homes now and made his way back over to the bench, sinking onto it.

It seemed something really was changing in this new world, and it wasn’t just the mortals.

“This world is growing more a hassle than ever before.” Imperius growled, wings tensing.

“What’s burning up your ass now?”

Imperius started, glancing over as Tevar approached him with bulging bags with a cute little angel on the front with a strange sort of food item speared onto their weapon. The archangel merely scoffed and crossed his arms defensively, turning to look at the group of children rambling away, “Those little pests were annoying me with their cries.”

Tevar glanced at the kids and shook his head, “See, I would say you are heartless or something for not liking kids, but I really can’t blame you there.” He chuckled as he began to fish something out of one of the bags, “Mind if I eat a bit here? I swear my stomach is going to eat itself if I don’t get anything in it.”

“Will it take long?”

“Probably not.” Tevar rolled his eyes as he moved to collapse on a bench, quickly unwrapping whatever he had retrieved from the bag. “I got the Valor’s Choice Burger combo….Triple the beef. Bless you Imperius for your burgers.”

“I have not made any of these burgers!”

Tevar merely chuckled at the slight anger of the archangel, causing Imperius to simmer some before with a growling sigh, he sat on the bench next to Tevar, “You are awful, mortal.”

“I may be, but I still made it to Heaven!”

Imperius shook his head and glanced away from the barbaric display of eating, “How long until we are finished with this task? I grow weary of going back and forth from here to Heaven dropping off all these strange items. Are there many more stops?”

“Nah. I managed to find a bank machine to get the last bit of money out of my account,” Tevar said before starting to tear into his burger.

“Another bank? We have stopped at several of these so far to get your money.” Imperius paused, tilting his head, “Are you some sort of noble?”

Tevar paused, glancing up,” Huh? Oh…no. That’s just the huge compensation I got paid from a lawsuit. Company had to pay me a hefty sum for the lack of safety protocol back in my nephalite mining days.”

“Nephalite…?”

He gave a nod, sitting back as he finished up the last bites of his burger, “Yeah. Rare crystal. Sort of glows and comes in a variety of colors…shit. If I had my phone, I would show you a picture. Anyways, turns out these crystals are toxic as hell. I was in the hospital for months feeling like I was burning up from the inside before I recovered and a lot of other blokes I worked with ended up dead from it…”

“I see…” Imperius murmured, shoulders hunching some, “I suppose it was named after the nephalem?”

“I guess? I don’t know. It has a lot of energy potential and people like the inert ones for rings.” Tevar murmured with a shake of his head before rising to his feet, “Ready to get going then?”

“I have been ready mortal. It is you who is holding us up.” Imperius grumbled as he rose to his feet. “Just let us be on our way.”

Tevar nodded, grinning some as he hefted his bags of food, “Then let’s get to it.” For a moment he paused though, glancing up to the archangel with a soft sigh, “Listen, I know I’ve been an ass and things are really shitty for you right now. I can’t imagine going through what you are going through, with Heaven being how it is, being alone… but regardless, just want you to know, you got me involved in this, and I’ll see it to the end now. Hell, really I just wish there was more I could do for you or just be able to answer even one of your questions.”

Imperius regarded Tevar silently for a moment before glancing away, “…I suppose you do as much as you can which is admirable. Even if it is not much.” 

“I’ll take it,” Tevar said before he let out a humorless laugh as he shook his head, “To bad we couldn’t just...summon that Tyrael guy back into his armor or something… I mean, just to have some company of your own kind right?”

Imperius paused at Tevar’s words, turning them over slowly. He...hadn’t thought about that. Not really. The resonance of Tyrael still sang within the blade he once used and his armor was here, no doubt still containing the remnants of his angelic soul. In theory, if a light song was given that was powerful enough, Tyrael would be drawn back together from the ether, much like how he was drawn back together after his apparent death during the destruction of the worldstone. 

The fact Tyrael had died a mortal had meant his armor hadn’t faded away to dust like what was expected to happen, thus preserving a shell of sort for a resonance to inhabit. With El’druin still containing the core of the archangel of justice’s essence and with enough power, it was a possibility. There was enough lingering fragments of Tyrael left to act as a sort of beacon for the rest of him. The question really was if he was even strong enough to bring about such a miracle. 

“It is a...thought.” Imperius admitted begrudgingly as he took a hold of the various bags of items that had been purchased on this run.

Tevar blinked, moving to hold onto Imperius, more or less use to grabbing onto the archangel given all the teleporting they had been doing, “A thought? You mean you can seriously do that?”

“In theory yes, although it hasn’t been attempted given no other angel had ever fallen as a mortal.” Imperius murmured, grasping Solaris tightly in hand and reaching back up towards the heavens, “Are you sure you have nowhere else we are to stop? I am not coming back if there is.”

“No. Got all the money I have and got all the items we need to get by for a few weeks.”

“Good. I do not want to linger in Sanctuary.” Imperius growled. 

Especially when each location they had moved to had slowly become tainted by the scent of demons no doubt drawn to his resonance like moths to a flame. The minions of hell were being even more tenacious than before with even less opposition, although they still seemed reluctant to move during the day and in plain sight for whatever reason. It only made Imperius wonder what state Hell truly was in and what greater evil had grown to hold such a tight hold over the demons that remained. It had to be a fiend of some power to keep the lesser demons from their typical bloody rampages. 

 

Those thoughts lingered in mind as he whisked them away back to Heaven, appearing back in the gardens of hope. Their sudden appearance though caused a mountain of items stacked within a shopping cart to overbalance and spill its contents over the floor. Tevar let out a sigh but quickly stepped forward to start cleaning up the mess, “So, where in Heaven should I set up this stuff for Aladria and myself?”

“The halls of valor. There are armories and the like there. More...enclosed and to the liking of mortals.” Imperius murmured, waving a hand dismissively.

“And how will I find those halls?” Tevar drawled. “You going to take me there or give me directions?”

Imperius paused, tilting his head thoughtfully before he turned away to head towards the library where Aladria was, “Follow the echoes of valor and you shall find it.”

Tevar blinked, “Seriously?”

Imperius chuckled, “No.” 

With that said, the archangel took to wing, ignoring the explicatively aimed at him and feeling a smug sort of pride for finally getting one over on the mortal man that had been vexing him so. Still, it was meant in good humor and there was no danger in wandering Heaven. It would give Tevar at least something to do before coming to seek Aladria and himself out. 

Imperius touched down outside the library, slipping inside and easily finding the lone figure sitting at the heart of it, crystals piled up around and various books scattered about. The book of Tyrael was still open up in her lap and she was thumbing through it, brow furrowed in concentration. At hearing Imperius’s approach, she looked up tiredly although with an excited spark in her eyes, “Back already? I feel like I’ve barely gotten through anything!”

“We have been gone six of your mortal hours.” Imperius answered, crouching down, “Has your search yielded any results?”

“Well yes and no. In terms of the wealth of knowledge about the past, all the old legends being connected and just, I can’t begin to tell you how everything in this book debunks every theory we ever held about the past. I honestly feel like I don’t know where to start in taking all this new information in!” 

Her excitement quickly died though and she sighed, shoulders slumping, “However, in terms of our search, everything past a certain time seems so...vague, as if the details were never recorded properly. Especially in the records of Heaven. The last crystal here holds nothing that would point as to what happened. It is like everyone stopped archiving at some point.”

Imperius sighed, “There was trouble in the realm of fate for a while. Pockets opened up into memories across Sanctuary. It seems sorted out now, but it might have caused a significant loss of information that was archived here.”

 

She gave a small nod, “That might be a cause for the sudden lack of records.” She sighed, closing the book, “Really, I can only gleam so much and most of what I can offer now are just speculations. There is a lot I can’t quite make out or understand, names and terms that make no sense. If we are to be honest about all of this, the best source of information as to what happened would be someone who was alive during that time. Another angel or possibly some demon if we could find one to capture.” 

“Demons will spin any hideous lies to create self-doubt and false hope if only to cause you greater despair.” Imperius murmured, rising to his feet, “And I do not think there is another angel left. If there was, surely they would have felt my resonance and sought me out.”

His gaze trailed over the great archives, feeling a pang in his soul once more. Ithereal had always had such care tending to the library of fate, making sure everything was in the proper place. Now it seemed like it was not even the same library with how disorganized it was, as if Itheral had simply saw no need to continue his sacred duty and left the library in the poor state it was now, the information incomplete and vague. 

His gaze fell to the book in Aladria’s lap and then over to where Tyrael’s armor from the tomb had been left upon one of the tables in the archives with El’druin propped up beside it. Anger rose up in Imperius at the sight but with it, a new fire of determination. He silently walked over to the armor, gripping the sides of the table as he looked down upon it, “human….Aladria.” He corrected, “Did that book hint even for a moment of what had occurred?”

Aladria blinked before giving a small nod, “Yes. According to Tyrael, many angels seemed to have left Heaven to live among the mortals. For what reason, I’m not sure. It is not clear if this was a peaceful move though or what that all entails but, yes, there is some indicators that the writer had an idea of what may have happened to Heaven. Why do you ask?”

 

Imperius gripped the table harder, his gaze all but boring into the armor laid out before him. The armor of the archangel of justice, an angel who became mortal for the benefit of mankind and by the words of his own book, most likely the only one who could truly answer the questions that burned within him. The archangel of valor straightened, feeling a new surge of determination rush through is resonance as he turned to the questioning gaze of the mortal, wings flaring out impressively.

“Because” he began, fingers scrapping against the stone of the table, “I can bring Tyrael back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU TO DAKRHELMETJ for always leaving such kind comments = w = really keeps me going on editing this behemoth! I'm nearly to the point where I'm out of the pre-written parts that just need a good editing 8I   
> Anyways, go check out their cool DIablo fics! https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkhelmetj/pseuds/darkhelmetj
> 
> Luckily though, I have this outlined out to chapter like....forty XD It is a loooong story 8D;


	9. Realization

Imperius wasted little time in getting to the Crystal Arch after his grand declaration in the archives to revive Tyrael. It did not take long to gather up the armor of his once comrade with Aladria’s help and whisk both of them away to the highest spire of Heaven. 

He re-materilized in a burst of smoke and light, glancing towards Aladria as the scholar gasped in awe at the sight before her. 

“Is that the Crystal Arch?” She asked, her tone hushed with a sense of awe.

“It is.” Imperius responded tersely as he began to lay out Tyrael’s armor upon the floor between the spires. “And it is our only chance of bringing back Tyrael.”

Her eyes widened in wonder at his words, even as she took in the sight of the elegantly raised points of the top of the arch that came up through the floor, “You can bring an angel back from the dead?”

Imperius paused, considering his answer, “Yes and no.” He finally said, “When an angel dies, there replacement is created at the arch during the next lightsong. The number of angels, and demons, is finite and replaced constantly. Even the evils of the world can return, as the soul always returns to the heart of Hell. Usually though, it is a rebirth of a different form unless the angel in question is of a particularly strong resonance. There have been cases of angels reforming completely rather than replaced.”

The archangel of valor rose to his feet, inspecting the laid out armor closely, “Or they will reform in Pandemonium before returning to Heaven. Tyrael has pulled that rare trick before. This time though, the fact his armor remains and his blade, it may be enough of a base to draw the rest of his spirit once more together.”

“Is there any way I can help?”

“I can handle it on my own.” Imperius responded, glancing to her, “The only reason you are here to witness such a sacred ritual as a lightsong is…as an apology for my behavior towards you. Consider it a moment of learning and study.”

It seemed like something the scholar would be interested in baring witness to, and from how her face lit up, he could assume he had been correct in that assumption. She hesitated for a moment though, biting her lip, “Shouldn’t we bring Tevar here as well?”

“Is that necessary?”

“You know if we don’t, we will never hear the end of his complaints,” She pointed out with a chuckle.

Imperius growled softly, tensing before letting out a sigh and vanishing. A moment later he returned, all but dropping a surprised Tevar to the floor.  
“The fuck man!” Tevar snapped as he rose to his feet, rubbing his sore rear, “Give a man some warning next time!”

“Cease your babbling mortal and be grateful I brought you here.” Imperius snapped as he turned away and back towards the Crystal Arch.

“Here for what?”

Aladria chuckled, coming over and putting a finger to her lips, “Just hush and see…”

Tevar huffed, but fell silent although he sent a questioning look towards Imperius which went unanswered as the archangel moved to place his hand upon the surface of the arch to create a strong connection. Given he was a single angel attempting this, he needed more than just a resonating wavelength. 

The uncertainty was still in his resonance, more so as he was not sure how Tyrael’s time as a mortal may undo the attempted process of restoration, but he pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the faint hum of El’druin’s core. He reached into himself, pulling forth every bit of strength he had, all the anger and confusion, the burning hope and desire to find the answers of the past, every last glowing radiance that sparked from his wings and resonated with the burning valor that made his core, and focused it forward into the arch. His resonance sang, a booming choir all in its own. The power of his resonance blazed like a star, his wings suddenly too bright to look upon, causing Aladria and Tevar to look away. 

Beneath Imperius’s hand, the crystal arch reached back, singing stronger than before and rising in peak, rallied to his call. Energy gathered around them in streaks of brilliant light, lashing together and moving about aimlessly without form. Imperius concentrated, pulling the storm of energy towards El’druin and adding the swords resonance to the din. The arch sung louder and louder and the swell of energy grew wilder but Imperius would not surrender, forcing his will against the energy as his resonance only keened louder, almost demandingly as to what needed to be done. With everything he had, he began to force the untamed energy towards the abandoned armor, willing it to take root once more. 

Imperius was throwing all that he had into the process, feeling like he was burning his very essence as the energy finally began to take shelter within the abandoned armor. Every inch of the armor seemed to glow as blue energy moved in and out of the openings, but with every pass, the tarnish of age began to be removed and the once yellowed cloth began to brighten to white and flow once more. Energy crackled at the pauldrons, slowly growing out the familiar protrusions that once housed Tyrael’s wings. The whole of the armor shuddered and soon began to rise, blue ropes of energy pouring out the back and pressing to the floor to bore the figure to their feet. The fingers of the figure began to twitch, followed by the hand, and then the whole arm starting to move. A rattling gasp escaped the being as if they were sucking in a deep breath after being so long underwater. 

While the armor arose, Imperius slumped forward, spent and his own resonance dimed as he dropped to one knee. Tevar was quick to rush to his side, offering meager support in trying to keep Imperius’s greater bulk propped up and the poor mortal nearly buckled under his weight until the archangel of valor caught himself against the floor. Yet what power he had given was enough as the lightsong continued, the arch humming and shinning brilliantly. Slowly the newly risen armored figure touched down lightly, stumbling some as if not quiet use to their feet. The hooded head was slumped forward towards the ground and the wings twisted listlessly out from behind them as they seemed to stare at their own hands in a muted confusion. Imperius glanced up, watching the figure, uncertain of if he had been strong enough to actually pull Tyrael together or if this was some other angel wearing only the guise of the former archangel of justice. 

Silence stretched on as the arch’s song began to retreat once more. The figure had not looked up, slowly turning over their hands until finally Imperius spoke.

“Tyrael….?” 

The figure jolted at the name, looking up at last to regard Imperius where he knelt, a mortal man helping in keeping the archangel of valor from sliding completely to the floor, and another mortal woman standing beside, now also attempting to help Imperius get back on his feet.

“Imperius? How...what….”

The archangel of valor did not grace Tyrael with an answer as he rose shakily to his feet with the assistance of the two mortals. His wings were still flickering weakly, but Imperius rallied enough strength to stagger across the floor to the other angel and wrap him in a sudden embrace. 

Tyrael staggered under the weight, his own hands coming up reflexively to wrap up around Imperius, half returning the embrace, and half supporting the weight of the archangel of valor. 

“Imperius?”

The archangel of valor did not respond, his wings flaring as his grip on Tyrael tightened for a moment before he pulled back abruptly, nearly overbalancing and rammed a curled fist into the side of Tyrael’s head, knocking the other angel down. 

Tevar snickered as Aladria looked on in alarm, cover her mouth, “Well, looks like we aren’t the only one he greets with violent tendency. Makes me feel good inside that he just strangled me.” Tevar said with a chuckle.

“How can you…” Aladria began to say before letting out a frustrated growl and stalked over to Imperius, “Why did you punch him!?”

Imperius didn’t answer her, huffing as he crossed his arms and looked away. Tyrael, for his part merely let out a strained chuckle as he rose unsteadily to his feet, “It is good to see you too, Imperius, although…I am confused…at how that is possible or how I am even here…” 

“Is that because of my falling so long ago?” Imperius asked, cocking his head.

“So long ago...” Tyrael paused, “How long has it been since you awoke? How long since my mortal body passed?”

The question was all it took to have Imperius exploding into another bout of rage, wings flaring as he started to recover his usual explosive energy. 

“Millennium! All the world has changed for the worse! Heaven stands empty and no more do angels even exist, while below in Sanctuary, demons run freely and the humans live with them unknowingly in their midst, no doubt accepting their evil!” Imperius thundered, starting to move towards Tyrael, “And what has happened? What happened for all of this to occur?! What happened since my fall that would cause the balance of the world to come completely undone!?”

He stopped short of grabbing the other angel and Tyrael wisely stepped back more than aware of the archangel’s still very explosive temper. The archangel of justice’s wings raised in alarm and tensed as he raised both hands up in a poor attempt to calm the anger leaking into Imperius’s voice, “Hold, Imperius. I don’t understand any of what is going on. If you simply explain, I’ll try to answer-”

“Try to answer?” Imperius growled out, “I brought you back to explain everything! What has happened to my Heaven? You were here! You should know! ”

The sudden rush of another resonance felt almost foreign to Imperius after so long without another living thing being of his own kind. He felt Tyrael’s confusion and irritation as well as something that twisted more like guilt and that was the most alarming emotion of all. Again he reined himself in, although his form trembled to reach out and grasp Tyrael like he had so long ago, at the point where their brotherhood had all but crumbled to dust. 

“I will tell you what I know, although I am as lost as you as to why Heaven would be empty. It must have happened after I fell in battle.” Tyrael responded firmly. “I do not want to feed into your anger any more than I have to!”

“Fell in- you died!? At the hands of a demon!?” Imperius practically screeched. 

“Not…at the hands of a demon, no.” Traiel murmured, taking another step back, “How I fell is beside the point. What matters is that when I did, Heaven was still whole!”

Imperius was heating up all over again and looked about ready to surge forward and attack Tyrael again, something that the archangel of justice noted and wisely flitted back further out of reach of the enraged archangel of valor.

Tevar snickered again, glancing to the horrified Aladria standing beside him,“I’ll say it again: it is refreshing to known that we aren’t the only ones being chewed out upon meeting. Dare I say we got a warmer welcome than this poor soul.”

Tyrael inclined his head, tensing as he noted the mortal that now stood within the room, “Hello mortals...and ah...who are you?”

“I am Aladria Cain….just a curator that was in the museum that Imperius was put in before his awakening,” She explained, giving a small, nervous shrug, “Been helping Imperius in trying to figure things out and ah, raiding your tomb.”

“And I’m Tevar. The guy who had his house busted into by Imperius, forced to drive him around, then he destroyed my car, but hey, it has made a hell of an adventure the past few days and the angry eternal grumpiness grows on you.” The man chuckled, “And guess you’re Tyrael?”

Tyrael was silent, his hand moving to his sword hilt as he turned his attention back to Imperius, “Are you truly the Imperius I know or are you some demon manifest in his form to confuse me? The Imperius I knew would have never worked with a mortal, let alone budding nephelem, he would have annihilated all of them if he had the choice!”

Aladria flinched a bit, glancing up at Imperius who growled in returned, leaning forward, arms crossed, “Times have changed when there are no other angels and nothing but the damned devil-spawned brats to rely on!” He spat, “You are trying my patience Tyrael! True I loathe the scum of Sanctuary, but Aladria and Tevar, have proven loyal and have not committed the same crimes as your precious nephelem had! I’m of an opinion they are the ones that ruptured Pandemonium completely!”

“Ruptured Pandemonium- what do you mean?” Tyrael demanded, not lowering his sword. “What is going on? Is this even Heaven!?”

Imperius eyed the other angel before turning his back on him with a huff, not at all afraid of Tyrael putting a blade in his back, “You probably know about that than I, Tyrael. Aladria, Tevar come. We will move to the halls of valor to speak. Tyrael can join us there unless he still doubts that I am myself!”

He huffed, feeling a pang of regret for bringing back Tyrael although he knew that was born more of lingering disputes and rancor between the two of them from so long ago. For them, it would seem like barley any time passed since they traded words despite millennium having passed. It almost felt like they had picked up where they had left off, just with far less information. 

Aladria and Tevar put up no protest when he put a hand on both their shoulders, the three of them winking out of existence to appear once more where Tevar had set up, again, causing the cart to overbalance with a crash. Tevar let out a groan and slunk over to start cleaning up again.

“Do you just like giving me more work in picking all this up?” He drawled, gathering up items in his arms to put back in the cart.

“Perhaps.” 

Aladria chuckled before moving to help Tevar, arching an eyebrow at some of the purchases, “You really think we are going to be able to get a fridge working in Heaven?”

“I figured you have lightning magic that we can harness that or something to make electricity. Maybe draw some fancy magic runes or shit.” Tevar said with a grin. “Figure something in those books about enchanting items.” 

“He also bought us these things called cellphones and wishes for me to look into creating a Heaven internet “Wi-fi” as he called it.” Imperius drawled, “He is a man of many, albeit strange and pointless ideas.”

“A Heaven wi-fi?” Aladria drawled.

Tevar shrugged, “Hey, can’t be worse than any other wi-if service right and we can like, use it for information and communication. Have our own Heaven social media or something. “He sighed as Aladria continued to stare at him, shoulders slumping, “Look, I just want to be able to stream movies while we are up here. I can’t sustain on ancient books I can’t even fucking read.”

“Might be useful but I don’t see how it is even going to work.” 

Imperius snorted at their conversation, taking the time to let his gaze look about the halls of valor. His trophies still covered the wall untouched but even compared to the rest of Heaven, it seemed that these halls have long remained empty of any souls or angel. He barely turned as Tyrael touched down a few feet behind him. The appearance of the archangel of justice caused both Aladria and Tevar to fall silent and turn to regard him.

Imperius snorted, “Ah, good of you to join us, oh mighty aspect of Wisdom. Have you finally confirmed, in your infinite wisdom, if I am indeed myself?”

Tyrael stiffened some, silent for a moment before he let out a sigh, “I am not the aspect of wisdom, Imperius. As I am now, I will retake my place as the archangel of justice.”

Imperius snorted, “Oh? So you wish not to be wisdom now? As a mortal, you fancied yourself such an excellent scholar! Are you sure that you are able to be justice now after so very long of guiding nephelem about by the hand?”

Tyrael’s shoulders tensed as he stood defiant, hands curling into fists, “That was when I was mortal and I had the wisdom to see through humanities eyes to see what you could not. I am no longer mortal and I know well my limits when it came to being a source of wisdom and how the loss of justice crippled not only heaven but Sanctuary as well. I will take up my sword again as the aspect I was created to be.”

“Such bold words, Tyrael. I wonder how long until you rip your wings off again to go die as a mortal again,” Imperius drawled. “We will so need you to be utterly useless in the coming days after all.” 

“So uh, now that that’s out of the way how about we just settle our tits a bit and try to figure this out from the top, eh?” Tevar interrupted, stepping between the two, “So uh, Tyrael was it? Do you know what happened to Heaven? Or have any info that might help with puzzling it out?”

Tyrael paused in thought before he sighed, shaking his head, “I do not. I only know many angels had opted to live in Sanctuary to be closer to the battle against Hell, especially when…Imperius fell.” The archangel’s wings flitted out in a somewhat anxious pattern that did nothing to abate Impeirus’s feeling that there were things being left unsaid, “Why the gates of Heaven were locked, I cannot say.”

“But it is written in the book of Tyrael. Did you not write the whole book?” Aladria asked.

“I did write much of it but parts of it were written by the Horadrim. Perhaps they added the passages you have interest in for during my lifetime as a mortal, Heaven was still whole and the Pandemonium lay untouched.” Tyrael explained, dipping his head apologetically, “I wish I could give you more, I really could, as the state of Heaven is…troubling.”

“Troubling. That is all you have to say about the situation? Heaven lies vacant and it merely troubles you?” Imperius snarled, “I see now I should have left you dead and gone! No information and your disdain for Heaven is the only thing that endured!” 

Tyrael’s wings flared some, his entire posture tensed, “I care for the well-being of Heaven as much as the next-“

“You haven’t cared for a long time Tyrael. If you had, you wouldn’t have fallen. You wouldn’t have gone against us, you wouldn’t have mangled our kinship-“

“You were content to sit cowering behind your walls and watch all of sanctuary burn! You wanted to say that mass genocide of a race was-“

“The nephelem were an accursed existence of demons and angels and they have not proven themselves any more resilient to corruption and in fact, the world today is more overshadowed with sin and-“

“And that I think is enough of that!” Tevar hollered, stepping in between the two angels, “How about we just take a step back, cool off, and come back to this yeah? How about you, Imperius come with me and Aladria and we find something to keep us distracted from your hate boner, yes?”

“And what about Tyrael?” Imperius growled, jabbing a finger, “I would love to simply ignore him now that he is here and I wish I hadn’t brought him back, but he is a pest, a glowing gnat of an angel-“

“It is refreshing to see you so well spoken, as always Imperius,” Tyrael drawled.

“A glowing gnat of an angel!” Imperius repeated, raising his voice more, “Who will continue to vex me the more he flits about, nipping at my wings no better than a hellish imp with his eternal snide lectures and lack of any useful information!” 

Tevar sighed, moving to take Imperius by the arm, standing on tip toes to turn the helmeted head to look at him, “I say we let Tyrael go out and see the world for himself. You remember how confused you were when you first arrived right? Give him time to adjust. He probably wants to see the state of Sanctuary for himself and make his own judgement. He’s justice and all that,” Tevar cast a look to Tyrael, offering an apologetic smile, “If that works for you?”

“It works perfectly fine for me.” Tyrael answered politely with a nod, “I want to get a better understanding of how things have changed and see if there are not some questions I can answer. Then maybe you can explain why you brought me back and we can trade words without the barbs.”

Imperius growled, moving to try and turned back only to be gently tugged back so his attention was back on Tevar, “See? He does that. You calm down and maybe we can find some nicer things to say to comrades.”

“I loath to call him comrade.”

“Yes, well you brought him back so now we have to simply be adults about this and find a way to get along.” Trevar huffed, “So let’s set up. Get some modern day upgrades to Heaven or just lay around and throw insults like a group of gossiping high school girls.”

Aladria smiled some, stepping forward as well, “I think I have an idea even for how to get internet. Once we have it, we can monitory what is going on in Sanctuary without having to step foot and perhaps even be able to monitor our enemies.”

Imperius’s wings tensed, drawing close to his back, although he tilted his head some in slight curiosity, “But if we use it that way, could not Hell do so as well?”

“Angelic firewalls or anti-virius. Or something like that,” Tevar murmured, “We’ll get some heavenly IT shit going between the three of us.”

Tyrael chuckled softly, although the sound was humorless as he shook his head, “I never thought I would see the day where you were even a bit cordial towards humanity.”

“Not humanity, only these two.” Imperius snarled, “They are a rare exceptions. The rest of their kind are still demonic hell spawns wallowing in their own filth.”

“Imperius….you really haven’t changed much despite what happened.” Tyrael murmured, turning away from the archangel of valor.

Imperius hissed in response, wings flaring, “Hopefully this time you see humanity, you won’t feel the need to live among them in the mud.” 

Tyrael gave another shake of his head before taking to wing, El’druin in hand, heading towards the portal gate. Imperius watched him go, feeling a mess of emotions color his resonance. The relief of having heavenly company had all but evaporated but another part of him was more or less wondering what he had expected to come of this. Had he expected Tyrael to just…materialize as he had long before the mortals showed up?

He was practically shaking with anger as he begrudgingly sat down with Aladria and Trevar, the former of the two who was chattering away about her plan for this “resonance wi-fi” she had come up with. He merely nodded along, not really paying attention to a word said, lost in his own thoughts. He had brought Tyrael back because of desperation. He could not form a new angel with but one song, but with Tyrael, there had been energy remaining that he could cobble together the archangel of justice. However, now the situation was two archangels now squabbling and in dissonance with each other, and Heaven still remained empty with no answers as to what happened. It wasn’t really any sort of improvement, that much was certain.

Imperius’s resonance began to sink within his chest as he slumped forward more, one hand rising as if to cover his helmet although it paused, retracting as he forced himself not to show a moment of weakness. Especially not in front of these two humans. He became aware though that the conversation had stopped and now both were looking at him expectantly.

“What?”

“Are you okay?” Aladria asked.

“Mm. Yes. Perfectly fine.” He murmured.

Trevar sighed, glancing to his companion, “Are you still fatigued from summoning back Tyrael? Maybe need a demon or two to kill?”

“There are always demon to kill,” Imperius responded, shoulders tensing, “That’s the worst of it all. Demons to kill, no angels in Heaven.” 

Aladria sighed softly, reaching out to touch his arm, “Maybe the demons we encountered live in Sanctuary because Hell is empty as well? Maybe they are just stragglers?”

“They are organized. That is not usual for renegades.” Imperius murmured.

“But remnants of Hell would still organize around the strongest here in Sanctuary to survive.” Aladria pointed out, “For all we know, what happened to Pandemonium has effect Hell as well.”

Imperius paused, considering her words before letting out a sigh, looking away as he crossed his arms, “There is no way to know that for sure without going to Hell itself.”

“So why not make a road trip to see ole Hell then? Should be an easy drop yeah?”

The archangel of Valor let out a humorless chuckle, “The fastest route was through Pandemonium but with it gone, you would have to find the crater of Mount Arreat to dive into.”

“Demons just pour out of a crater?” 

“The destruction of the worldstone more or less blew a hole right into Hell, forever linking Sanctuary to it,” Imperius explained, rising to his feet. “But if Hell still remains, that would be the first place to look, but I am certain that is one location that Tyrael will be looking into.”

“Do you know that for sure though?” Tevar insisted, “We should totes go check it out.”

The archangel of valor shook his head, “I know that for certain. Tyrael is predictable…for the most part. His love of humanity has been the one behavior that I have never been able to fully comprehend, but that love of your kind will have him personally judging how far Hell has sunk its talon into your world.” The archangel let out a low snarl, shaking his head, “Probably will be mortal by the end of the day, screaming about how great humanity is…”

“For someone you seem to have an overwhelming hate about, you seem to be very certain of his character.” Trevar drawled. 

Imperius’s wings flared some as he turned away, crossing his arms, “We have known each other for millennium. I would think I know Tyrael well enough to some extent to know what he will do.”

“But you just said you didn’t-“

“I think that is enough of that!” Aladria quickly interrupted, “I for one am famished and want to ask Imperius a few questions about Heaven, about the past, and to help clear up some discrepancies I’ve found in my research.”

Tevar shot her a look before letting out a sigh and jerking his thumb towards one of the side halls from the main atrium of valor, “I’ve set up in there. Got food of all kinds. Got some Heaven’s Burgers. Got you the Imperius combo in honor of our new friend. Even got some board games. Something to pass the time while working to get electricity or something.”

“Oh? What games?” Aladria asked, her interest peaked. 

Imperius let out a growl, shaking his head, “We are wasting time.”

“Yeah? Well sometimes, Imperius, you got to waste time or you are going to drive yourself insane.” Tevar drawled, moving over to take a hold of Imperius’s arm and starting to tug on it, “How about you come join us and play a few rounds of a game, then tell us if it is stupid? Try everything once, then no one is going to question your judgement.”

The archangel of valor stared at Tevar, heating up slightly before letting out an aggravated sigh and pulled his arm out of his grip, “Fine. One round of these games of yours.”

Aladria chuckled, already heading in the direction Tevar indicated, “One game to relax too sounds fine to me too.”

“We’ll see,” Impierius growled. 

He told himself he would not enjoy any trivial mortal game. One round of one of their stupid games and he would leave them to whatever mundane mortal activities they wanted to partake in. Just one game.

One game that turned into two. Then three, then he began to lose count. The mystery game of solving a murder was actually rather enjoyable, followed by a game of commerce and properties in which Aladria and Tevar had gotten very heated with each other over and it had devolved into some hostilities, much to Imperius’s amusement. He would not lie in that he more or less helped to fuel the fires by throwing the game and watching them be the ones squabbling for once. The lingering anger from that game had bled into the next one. This game was of particular interest as it was a game of strategy and conquering nations which had Imperius slowly defeating both mortals as they tried to take out one another rather than focus on what the archangel of valor had planned. 

Now however, both mortals were far more subdued, showing signs of fatigue as they crowded about still another game involving simply rolling dice and moving about the board back to a home space and avoiding being captured by the pieces of the other players. Tevar yawned, eyes half closed as he moved his piece forward into harm’s way of one of Imperius’s pieces, “This is a pretty long one game, hmm Imperius?”

“All of these games count as one round.” Imperius responded, sliding his piece forward.” And I believe that is what your mortals call sorry….yes?”

Tevar blinked, before grumbling and returning his piece back to his home, “You are good at these games. Have you made the dice favor you or something?” 

“You just don’t have an eye for strategy.” 

Aladria chuckled tiredly from where she lay sprawled on her stomach, using her arms as a headrest as she observed the game, “Well strategy is what makes a good warrior. Makes it clear why you were seen as the greatest warrior in all of Heaven.” 

Imperius’s wings fluttered some at the compliment and he let out a soft huff, “Malthael and Ithereal were better at strategy.”

“In the moment though, sometimes that calls for a change of plans and you seem to do better with that,” Aladria said as she moved her piece. 

Tevar stifled a yawn and gave a shake of his head, “Right now, my only strategy is how quickly I can get that air mattress inflated and covered in blankets so I can curl up in them and sleep for three days.”

Imperius tilted his head at the man’s words, watching him roll the dice, “I never understood why mortals need to sleep. Neither demons nor angels had to do so. Even the early nephelem and their offspring did not require sleep.”

“Who knows? Biology is weird.” Tevar murmured.

The archangel hummed some, picking up the dice to roll it and then move his piece forward, “There is a lot that is strange about you mortals. Parts of you neither demonic nor angelic, but rather, uniquely your own.” 

“Guess the grey center has to have their own quirks.” Tevar responded as he tried to muffle another yawn.

Imperius shook his head, even offering a faint chuckle of his own. Something about that thought was… easier to accept. Nephelem were not demons. Nor were they angels. They could not so easily be put into either category, but to be thought of as their own being, not some tainted aspect of Heaven or some poor attempt at purifying Hell, perhaps he could endure them in that category of their own. Perhaps. 

The archangel glanced up when he noted Aladria was starting to yawn and let out a sigh, “We can finish this game tomorrow then. Both of you are looking like you are on the doorstep of death.”

“Thanks. You look fine and dandy yourself,” Tevar retorted with a cheeky grin. 

Aladria sighed, shaking her head as she shot Imperius a long suffering look, “Best get him to bed before he says anything else stupid.”

“Indeed. No need to give him more time to shame himself.”

Tevar rolled his eyes, “Since when have you two been such dear, good friends?”

“I don’t think he considers me a friend, more someone to tolerate.”

Imperius tilted his head at her words, “Mm. No. I suppose I could consider you….an acquaintance.”

“She gets to be an acquaintance and not me?” Tevar protested as he sat up. “After all the adventures we had getting items?”

“No, you are the annoying man I let live in Heaven.” Imperius drawled, although his tone was amused. 

“Come on, I can’t be all that bad if the creator of my kind was half an angel!” Tevar retorted with a chuckle.

“Inarius was a whole angel and really, he was always…lost in his own visions.” Imperius shook his head. “I should have guessed Tyrael would have followed in the delusional thinking of his brother.”

“Who’s Inarius?” Aladria asked.

“You ask that?” Tevar huffed, “What I want to know is how angels even have siblings!”

Imperius couldn’t hold back a humorless chuckle, “Ironic that the father of humanity is forgotten by the spawn he created but if you must know, Inarius was the betrayer who stole the world stone to create your world.” Imperius crossed his arms, “And was born the same moment as Tyrael, their resonances are only a note apart or else they would be identical twins.”

“Huh….was it like a powerful whatever you did before?”

“Lightsong and…you could say that. Malthael led it to….bring someone back,” Imperius glanced away, “He did not reform, instead Tyrael and Inarius formed. Tyrael was just the more powerful of the two to gain his status as an archangel, Inarius...Inarius I feel never was interested in that.”

“Apparently he was interested in getting some demon ass,” Tevar said with a grin.

Imperius let out a little growl at the wording used, “He was a fool, although it seems that in the end, Tyrael was the bigger fool of the two!”

“For someone you seem to have such a hate for, it seems odd he was someone you wanted to bring back.”

Those words caused Imperius to stiffen some, although he did not respond. True he had disliked Tyrael now, but…it hadn’t always been that way and perhaps he had just allowed himself to live too much in the glorious past of the Eternal Conflict, when they had been such close friends and able to share in victories even if at times they had their disagreements. 

It almost was an irony he was getting along with two budding nephelem than his own comrade in arms. 

Tevar had regarded Imperius silently the whole time the archangel mused before letting out a sigh and shaking his head as he rose to his feet tiredly, “You brought him back for some reason.”

“For information but he has already freely admitted he knows nothing and as useless as ever!” Imperius retorted.

“It wasn’t just about the information. I think you want something else.”

“And what would a mortal know about what I want?”

Tevar gave a small shrug, glancing away, “Because sometimes you just want some sort of closure to relationships that have gone south, like it seems to have gone between the two of you. You hate him and yet…I get the feeling you don’t really.”

The archangel of valor stiffened, turning away from Tevar, “You are reading too much into this.”

“But he is here now.” Aladria murmured quietly, “Would it not be cruel to just… push him off now?”

That caused Imperius to pause, whatever angry retort that wanted to erupt from him evaporating before it found voice. It was not long ago before he had awoken to this new world, lost, alone, and confused without anyone at first to help him in his endeavors to discover what had happened. He could only imagine what Tyrael would be going through, the uncertainty that could be ringing his resonance, how the mix of emotions Imperius had touched upon was not feelings of the past, but feelings of the present. 

Imperius let out a sigh, “I may have treated him unfairly, especially with how it is I who brought him back to this world.”

“I think you two just need to sit down and talk.” Aladria said softly, reaching to touch Imperius’s arm, “Not about what is going on, but about the two of you.”

“You can agree to disagree. There is nothing wrong with that. Hell, maybe what you are disagreeing on isn’t as, I don’t know, black and white as you think?” Tevar let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair, “I don’t know.”

“The differences we share have not been resolved in a lifespan that goes all the way back to when your world was first discovered by Heaven and Hell. I have little hope that it will resolve itself now.”

 

“Then why did you bring him back if you hate him so much!?”

Imperius felt his anger rise in response to the questions, wings flaring out as if he was getting ready to fight. Aladria bit her lip, shaking her head as she moved to put her hands against Imperius’s chest.

“I think you two can figure it out. I just don’t….I just don’t think you’ve had the time to do so, or well, neither of you wanted to sit down. Sometimes…” she paused to take in a deep breath, glancing up at him, “Sometimes being brave is just about doing the right thing, even if you don’t want to or…or you think it makes you look weak or fragile. Sometimes it is just… being unafraid to be wrong or open up to someone.” 

She paused again, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear, now staring at the ground, “And when I first met you. I was terrified. I was terrified of you for a while. You were… so angry. Always making threats and I knew, if you wanted, you could kill me without a second thought. But… after the ruins, after being here, after reading what I have…I don’t think the only thing about you is anger and power. And I don’t think you are a coward or anything, I just think… I think just everyone puts that expectation on you to be strong or else…or else…”

“Or else they think you aren’t able to fulfill your role.” Tevar finished, noting Aladria’s struggle. He sighed as he shoved his hands into his pockets, “I agree with her. Honestly I’m starting to like you, Imperius. You actually are good at keeping a conversation going, more social than you look, and even when you are angry, I don’t know…you are always genuine about it.”

 

There words caused Imperius’s anger to quickly vanish, replaced by an emotion that he rarely had felt, even in heaven. Embarrassment. His armor heated up about the helmet more rather than the chest and his wings did an odd flitter although he tried to brush it off with a huff, crossing his arms, “The two of you can waggle your tongues with your compliments to ease me, but it is not working.”

“Of course it isn’t.” Tevar said with a chuckle. “Still, you can’t fault us for trying eh?”

“No. It was a worthy effort.” Imperius couldn’t help the small chuckle as he glanced away, “Your words are insightful Aladria. If Malthael had not gone mad and perhaps remained today, I think he might actually spare words with you.”

That caused the scholar to flush and dip her head some. Tevar chuckled, cocking his head slightly, “My my Imperius. Another complement to our dear scholar? At this rate, you might say something good about me.”

“I think you will need to go to Hell and see if the rivers of fire have frozen over before that occurs, Tevar.” Imperius drawled, his tone amused. “But you two should get your rest. Here in Heaven, you will rest easy, no doubt.”

“And what will you be up to while we sleep?” Tevar asked curiously.

Imperius was silent for a few moments before letting out a soft chuckle, “Against my better judgement, I’m going to attempt to take your advice and….maybe speak with Tyrael.”

A part of him was screaming that there was nothing to say and they would end up fighting again, but some smaller, long buried, tired part of him wanted to find peace and at least an inkling of the companionship they once shared. There did not have to be a second eternal conflict between the two of them. They would have to work together if Heaven was to be restored. They would have to find some sort of compromise or else the future of their kind was grim. 

“Good luck Imperius. Don’t punch him!” Tevar said with a grin.

Aladria sighed, shaking her head as Tevar turned to trot off to dig up the air mattresses and get them situated. She glanced up at Imperius and smiled, “Maybe focus on Heaven and don’t bring up nephelem? Seems to be the sore subject.”

“I will try.” Imperius murmured, waving her away, “Go rest. You are no use half delusional.”

The scholar nodded and chuckled herself before following to where Tevar had gone. Imperius watched them for a moment before he turned to head deeper into the halls of valor, pass the assortment of mounted heads on the wall and the weapon trophies taken from generations of conflict. At times he would stop before offices of his advisors and those who had served as officers in the upper ranks of the armies of Heaven at his side. 

All of it filled him with a new wave of sorrow, although he noted here, there were more signs of a slight struggle. Things had been knocked over and never cleaned up. Battle plans lay scattered about, and oddly enough, there were crystals of the archive of here, strewn about as if some mad fate angel had come in with an armful, tossing them around at will. Imperius did not let his mind wander to these small details, not yet. Not when there were so many other mysteries that needed to be discovered. These observations were just another piece that would need to eventually align.

The archangel moved away from the core of the halls of valor and down a rarely used passage that opened up to a small modest room that were more or less his personal quarters to relax within. One room of the wall was gone to open up to a wide balcony that gave him a beautiful view of all of Heaven from the spires of the Crystal Arch to the gentle glow of the various plants in the garden of hope below. There were a few chairs here as well as a few lounge daybeds for extended periods of rest or contemplation. Although angels did not truly sleep, periods of low activity were often considered healthy. Just time to let one’s mind go back and resonance unwind to twine with the Crystal Arch and let go of everything for a short while. For Imperius, this had always been a place of meditation and a room he had felt able to relax within away from prying eyes. He recalled the words Aladria had said, about letting his guard down and felt here at least, in this room, maybe with Tyrael he could be able to do so. A sigh escaped him as he felt the weight of the past few days crush down a little more upon his shoulders as he gazed out the window at his homeland.

It was almost bittersweet. In the past such a view had always soothed his resonance, but now it only colored his resonance with shades of sadness. There were no shapes of flitting angels or a rise of song coming up from the gardens. It felt more as if he looked simply at a bleak picture of Heaven upon the wall, captured in detail, but left devoid of true life. 

Imperius turned away from the sight and moved to sink back into a chair with a sigh, wings splaying out over the sides with the tendrils tiredly dusting over the floor. He did not know what to think now, nor where to start as much as he liked to profuse he did in front of the others. His thoughts lingered on the past and eventually, his thoughts began to linger on Inarius given the earlier conversation that had brought him back from the dregs of memory.

It had been so long since he thought about the greatest traitor of Heaven, the one who managed to out-think Malthael of all people to steal the worldstone away and use it to craft his wretched world. Inarius had been practically invisible, not out of being odd or anti-social, but more for how seamlessly he could insert himself into any group. He was not even an archangel of the counsel, yet more often than not, his voice had always mingled with their own and there had always been something strangely enduring about the angel. Imperius sometimes had felt he got along better with Inarius as opposed to Tyrael, although now he was loathed to ever admit that fact. He supposed it was how Inarius always had a strange, almost beautiful view of the world and appreciation of contrasts many would overlook and always seemed to be able to phrase it in a way that sparked imagination and curiosity about the world they lived in. 

His betrayal had felt like it had come out of nowhere and yet even with such an atrocious crime, to this day, Imperius still felt the sentence much too harsh and useless given he had disagreed with any treaty between Heaven and Hell. Just another note of dissonance that had forever lingered in the counsel.

Another deep sigh escaped him as he slouched further down his seat, head tilting back. All of that was in the past. If Hell was indeed gone, then it had taken Inarius with it.

But if Hell still burned, then, perhaps-

“I do not like to intrude upon your inner sanctum, Imperius, but I do not think you would want to wait to hear this news.”

Imperius did not react or jump up at the familiar hum of Tyrael’s resonance, nor at his voice. He merely gave a tired roll onto his side facing towards the archangel of justice as if all the weight of the universe was crushing down upon him. Tyrael hovered just at the balcony for a few moments before landing heavily as if he was still adjusting to flight once more before he strode forward to stand before Imperius.

The archangel of valor grumbled some before sitting up, wings sparking tiredly behind him.

“Then I suppose you did your scouting of whatever is left of Mount Arreat then?” He drawled.

“That, among many other things.” Tyrael confirmed, crossing his arms, “I will agree with you that Sanctuary has fallen into dark times. Demons are roaming in secret among their ranks, but even with such evil lurking, there has been signs of great good among the mortals.” 

Imperius growled, feeling a tremor of irritation that he vainly tried to squash and gave a wave of his hand, “Speak to me of the dire news, not of your continuing prattling about mortals as if your words now will suddenly make me agree completely with you.”

Tyrael fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, coming over, “May I have a seat?” He asked, gesturing to one of the empty ones before Imperius.

“When have you ever been courteous of me or sought my permission of late, Tyrael?” Imperius drawled.

“I don’t wish to fight you anymore Imperius and these are your inner chambers,” Tyrael responded, folding his hands behind his back, “I still see as equals.” 

Imperius let out a sigh, waving dismissively to a chair, “Have a seat.” 

There was another long period of silence before Tyrael moved to take a seat, tense and leaned forward to prop his elbows upon his armored knees, folding his hands in front of him, “The world has changed a lot and I know you have felt it too, the heavy evil that seems to sit upon the land. Not to mention the devastation of Pandemonium. It is as you say: It has been undone.”

Imperius gave a small nod, still slumped back, “All this I know. What you say is only delaying what news you truly wish to report.”

That could only mean to the archangel of valor that his worse fears concerning Hell were about to be confirmed. He sat up a bit more to regard Tyrael who sat silent, head bowed forward, and his entire stance tense. “Hell has been untouched, hasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Tyrael answered quietly, “Although all the links between it and Santuary have been damaged to the point that the larger fiends would have trouble getting through, it has not stopped its evil from leaking out upon the world. Concerning as despite this, humanity in their weakened state endures. We are both aware of the bloodlust demons feel to rip apart mortals. ” The archangel of justice shifted uncomfortably in his seat, “There is some demon of power in this world holding the reigns of these demons and has some greater plan at hand. Something is keeping demons in check just enough to let the mortals thrive.” 

“That is not comforting at all,” Imperius growled, “So Hell is fine and filled to the brim with evil, but Heaven remain empty and dormant, with nothing left to oppose its corruption or plans in Sanctuary and yet you sit before me, with more knowledge of the past, and cannot fathom how this came to be?”

Tyrael stiffened slightly, his resonance growing more combative, “I was mortal Imperius, and I had little to do with the counsel of Heaven other than the few times I was asked for my opinion. Auriel and Ithereal led heaven when you fell. I only know more of our kin were leaving Heaven to live among mortals-“

“And what purpose would have any of that served?!” Snarled Imperius, starting to rise to his feet as the anger finally burned through once more, “Your fanciful ideas, your push against ancient laws and sowing discord in our ranks, ripping us apart with every single one of your actions that is what caused this break and now. Now Heaven is empty. I’m surprised you aren’t crowing with pride at this achievement, that humankind is alone now in defending against evil.”

“I do not know why you believe me to hate Heaven or my kin, but I can assure you that is far from the truth! I care for Heaven as much as you do. I suffered as much as you when Diablo nearly destroyed us! I would not have wanted Heaven to simply disappear!” Tyrael snapped back, “Do you always look to find someone else to blame for your own shortcomings?”

Imperius flared, wings outstretched, “My own- what was I to do to stop any of this from happening when I was trapped? Was I to break out of the binding corruption of the nephelem magic, rise up, and undo all the harm you’ve done to us?”

“Your anger, your brashness, your ever corrupting note of hatred that swept through you, a rancorous dissonance that probably fed the lord of hatred himself is what flaw you have and will never admit to! It is that hate of all of Sanctuary that has been ripping us apart since it was found!” Tyrael shouted back, “You were dangerous to us all! Even Auriel and Ithereal agreed that having you back would only make the situation on Sanctuary just that much worse and it was best to keep you away from the war and leave you where you fell!”

There was a long pause as those words began to sink in, the heat of Imperius’s resonance wavering for a fraction of a moment. All the rage seemed to suddenly be dosed by the sudden chill Tyrael’s words brought.

“What?”

Tyrael recoiled some, going silent as he looked away yet Imperius could feel the sharp twinge of regret that was humming through the archangel of justice’s resonance just then making apparent Tyrael had not wished to say that out loud.

“You chose to leave me sealed?”

“I- the counsel-“Tyrael let out a soft sigh, “We needed to focus on pushing back the forces of Hell and your strategies… I told you before, they were focused on Heaven and Heaven alone, not on the protection of Sanctuary. The nephelem, myself…Auriel and Ithereal… your hate and reluctance to do naught but the bare minimum to help… it was a detrimental to the unity we needed to defeat Hell.”

The words rung hollowly in Imperius and more than ever he wish he could get angry in that moment and accuse Tyrael of lies and that such a thing would never be agreed upon but the truth was there in grim detail. He had been sealed for so long, but not unreachable in the first few moments of his sealing nor in the years after. If the will of Heaven wished it, he could have been recovered, pulled up from his prison and re-instated in Heaven before any of this could occur. 

He had not understood why he was there for so long. The idea he had been left intentionally there, that his own kin, those whom he trusted and fought beside for so long, that they had simply left him behind on purpose out of dislike of his views and opinions was the furthest thought from his mind. 

That he had been seen as a threat to the Heaven he loved so dearly and more or less exiled and left imprisoned was not a possibility he had considered at all. 

The sting of betrayal began to sink in deep, ripping through Imperius’s resonance and leaving a gash of despair that no amount of anger could fill again. He stood there, wings dimming, staring at Tyrael who refused to look at him. 

“You abandoned me.” Imperius finally managed to say, his voice so soft and carrying a slight tremor of disbelief.

“I’m sorry Imperius. We had the greater good to look after.”

“…so you simply left me. You really-“

He knew he and Tyrael had not seen eye to eye on many a matter but this went beyond that. This was not just Tyrael, but Heaven as well. This was Auriel and Ithereal, not just mortals or the nephelem. This was a betrayal that he could not fathom. It was a betrayal that was ripping his resonance and will into shreds. His mind briefly touched on the advice Aladria gave him to speak with Tyrael to try to come to some sort of compromise for the betterment of Heaven and all of reality after so long of trying to push Tyrael’s words aside. Here he was, intent on making peace with Tyrael, only to be told this. A broken laugh escaped him before it began to increase, becoming almost manic sounding as he sank back down into his chair, both hands rising up to cover his helmet. He couldn’t even begin to try and sort out the emotions he felt, his resonance a raging storm of dissonance within him, but the keen of hurt and distress was the loudest emotion of all.

No blade in Hell, nor even the claws of terror itself had ripped through the archangel of valor more so than the words of Tyrael. That thought just had Imperius laughing harder, although it almost sounded like sobs now. 

“You have changed Tyrael! I did not think you capable of betrayal of that magnitude, but perhaps being mortal makes such things easier! Perhaps the counsel felt that mortal concept something admirable!” Imperius managed out between wheezes of laughter, “And I brought you back. I brought you back and was advised to work with you! To-to amend things!” 

He trembled more, the laughter turning into a broken sound, swallowed sobs that he saw no need to cover. Everything inside of him felt broken and every hope he had for the restoration of Heaven seemed to evaporate away under the surging tide of grief and despair. What was even the point of restoring a Heaven that had sided with mortals in saying he was unnecessary and a threat? That solitary thought sunk into him, spreading its tendrils through his resonance, all but crushing whatever desire he had to set things right in Heaven.

There wasn’t a point to it now. No point at all.

“Imperius,” Tyrael began, his own voice trembled, more or less feeling that complete breakdown of the other angel’s resonance as if it were a knife to his own, “It was…it was a terrible choice to make. It wasn’t made lightly, I can assure you-“

“Wasn’t made lightly.” Imperius repeated hollowly. “It is nice to hear it took you at least more than a few minutes to judge me, sentence me, and exile me.”

“Imperius-“

The archangel of valor shook his head, letting his hands drop from his helmet to hang listlessly at his sides. His wings, once burning with the heat of his will were more like a choked fire, more black smoke and soot, sputtering as the fire slowly extinguished, “You clearly knew best. The whole counsel felt your words better than my own. Your presence was the only one permitted back into Heaven. Whatever actions you take to restore Heaven, I wish you only the best of luck, Tyrael.” He rose tiredly to his feet, “I no longer care and clearly am no longer necessary to whatever vision of Heaven that was supposed to come. Whatever vision, you, the nephelem, and the counsel wanted.” 

“Imperius please, just-“

“I wish to be left alone now. Heaven is your home, not mine.” 

Those words rang harshly in his resonance, but he had not the will to rally up his fire again. He turned away, no wanting to hear anymore of Tyrael’s apologies or attempts to justify the wrong. He didn’t want to hear any more talk of Heaven or Hell as much as he …simply no longer wanted to exist in that mere moment. He had been confused and angry since he awoke, feeling alienated and lost, but there had always been that grasp on the past and memories to buoyant his drive forward. That hope that he would get to Heaven, that his kin would be there to welcome him back, that he would not be alone and be able to serve his purpose again. That he was needed and wanted still. 

 

The truth of why he was left sealed so long shattered those memories, tainting them with the betrayal that had come to light and destroyed what hope had fueled him. Imperius simply walked away, listlessly through the halls of valor, no longer hearing the thrum of courage. He was tired now. So very tired. 

He barely registered he had walked back out to the hall where he had left the two humans. Tevar and Aladria were fast asleep, curled up in the bedding and far from this waking world. He envied them then, that they could close their eyes and escape into that strange realm of sleep and be spared from their thoughts. For a moment, he stood there with no idea of what to do or where to go before he simply approached the two and heavily sat down at the head of the mattresses, staring off listlessly. His entire form trembled. Everything felt raw and he wanted to feel something other than this….this void. This feeling of absolute and utter defeat. 

A pain so deep that he couldn’t muster a thought to combat it.

“Imperius, is something wrong?”

He flinched, gaze falling down to Aladria as she awoke. When he had sat down, the noise had jolted the lighter sleeper awake and now she peered at him, confusion and concern coloring her features as she took in his appearance. 

“I don’t know.” He responded, voice hollow.

She bit her lip, worry in her expression, but she did not pose a question again. She merely sat up and shuffled forward to awkwardly wrap her arms about him as best she could in an attempt to comfort him. 

“I’m sorry. Whatever you are going through, I’m sorry.” She murmured softly, “If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask, but…know when you are ready, I’ll listen. Tevar will listen too when he wakes up. Friends look out for friends.” 

He sat there, regarding this mortal, feeling a strange swell in his resonance, a little sliver of something that managed to unravel from the pain of his resonance. The gesture the mortal offered was so insignificant. It was a hug and nothing more, but her voice was sincere. A part of him wanted to be suspicious of her intentions, that mortals could not be trusted but then, even his own kin-

Imperius shuddered, leaning forward into the embrace, one hand coming up to rest on her shoulder as he attempted to find his voice again, “…I am sorry for how I treated you. Out of everyone so far met, you…and Tevar …have been patient with me. More patient than I probably deserved.”

She laughed a little, leaning back, “No need for apologies Imperius. You are going through a lot and in all honesty, you have made attempts to be kinder to us.” She paused, glancing over to the still sleeping Tevar and then back to the archangel, “Do you want to go somewhere and talk?”

“I…no. No. Just….I’ll remain here.” He began softly. “I would like you to return to your rest. Perhaps… in the morning I will be able to… phrase it.” 

She nodded, not pushing him further and moved to create a space between her mattress and Tevar’s. She tossed some of the blankets and a pillow from her own bed onto the floor in the spot, creating a makeshift bed. With her work done, she looked up at him with a small smile, “You lay here between us if you want. I don’t know if angels sleep or not…but being around friends can help a bad mood sometimes.” 

Imperius nodded moving to sit between the two before all but laying on his back, wings still a smoky black, although there was a small spark at the base now. Aladria was silent for a moment before she cleared her throat, “Good night Imperius.”

“Rest well, Aladria.”

“In the morning, we can pick up the game for a while. Have some breakfast. Then can discuss our next move to restore Heaven.” She said softly as she lay in her bed, “Have you ideas for what happens next?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are we going to create some offensive against demons? Perhaps find other angels?”

“I don’t know.” 

She bit her lip, worry clear in her expression“…may I ask again what happened?” 

Imperius was silent at her quiet question, staring ahead and hating how he could not find the words to express what ache there was in his resonance and the hole that now seem to exist where once he burned brightest. 

“The truth was simply told and it is…a lot to take in.”

“I see.” She reached out to touch his arm gently, “Well Tevar and I are here to support you. We are in this together, to whatever end we meet.”

He gave a vague nod, still staring up at the painting upon the ceiling of the room, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Maybe we can ask Tyrael what-“

“I would rather never speak or see him again. He is... no friend of mine.” Imperius said quietly, voice wavering a bit, “Heaven has fallen. There is no reason to fight for it to return. Humanity is content and Hell has its prize and that is the way everyone wants it to be.”

“Do you really believe that?” 

The quiet question stung and Imperius tensed, turning his head away, “I don’t know what to believe in anymore. Who to trust. What to do.”

Aladria moved forward then to touch his shoulder, “You can at least always trust in yourself, can’t you? You are the archangel of valor. Legends tell of how, even in the grips of fear, in the darkest hour of Heaven, when a battle seems lost, you are the one force that will hold on that there is a will and a way and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.” 

“Those legends speak more highly of me than my own kin,” He murmured dully. “Did humanity truly see me in such a light?”

“Those are the stories that endure.” She smiled gently, “Ones about your dislike of humanity are well…not the ones that seemed to have stuck. You made an impression, even if you despised us.”

“Your people are strange. Compassion like that…I nearly killed you and you are offering me kindness.”

Aladria gave a shrug, “You didn’t kill me and never left any harm. You saved me from demons. You gave me the opportunity to see my own lost potential and see sights no other scholar would see,” She smiled, offering a small chuckle, “I say we are even.”

Imperius glanced over to her briefly before looking away, “Are all humans like you?”

“No. Some are a lot worse. Probably some are a lot better.” She gave a small shrug, “Some are just…easily mislead to try stupid things.”

“I suppose that is the curse of choice.” 

Aladria glanced to her companion as she situated herself to lay on her side, “The curse of choice? Do you not have a choice as an angel to do good or bad.”

“It is not a choice for us. Of course you will do what is right to protect Heaven and the light and to oppose Hell utterly and completely, not embrace it,” The archangel of valor responded, gesturing listlessly above, “We exist to oppose evil. That is what we were made for.”

“…but you still have choice no? You chose to hate humanity and not help based on their demonic nature. You chose to save myself and Tevar. You chose to bring Tyrael back. Perhaps our curse of choice is starting to affect you?”

Imperius paused at her words, tensing just a moment before letting out a defeated sigh, “The choices of nephelem are why most of the wretches of Hell are free to begin with….that curse has affected me indirectly, at the very least…” 

The point she brought up about choice though and just how many he might have made, how his fellows have made choices, of how Inarius had made a choice none of them had fathomed. How Tyrael had made the choice to fall. There was supposed to be no choice, only a duty, only a purpose that each of them had been created to do. Things were supposed to be as fate dictated. 

But perhaps that was just another archaic thought that he had clung stubbornly to for so long.

“So if I have choice, could I choose now to simply not care what happens now? Can I choose to do nothing more?” Imperius asked softly.

“You can choose to do nothing…but…I think inside, you won’t allow yourself to stand by. That doesn’t seem like you,” Aladria let out a sigh, “I’m just making you feel worse, aren’t I?”

Imperius gave a soft chuckle, “Perhaps a little bit…but also no at the same time if that makes sense. I do not think anything you can say will make me feel worse than what was said to me today.” 

Silence fell heavily between them and Imperius looked over towards the single window of the armory and to the spires that could be glimpsed, tarnished with age and silent. They looked like relics that had been forgotten. Perhaps all of Heaven was like himself, just an unnecessary element to the whole of reality. 

“What purpose do I serve now?” he asked finally at length.

Aladria was quiet, pondering his question before she smiled, “That is up to you now but honestly, I think the world could use more valor and if you do not wish to fight for Heaven, then so be it, but whatever cause you find, I’ll support it.”

“Why?”

“Because magic exists, I have demons looking to kill me, and the safest place in Heaven or Hell or Sanctuary, is right here, next to you.” She said quietly in response, “But now we have all the future ahead of us to do what we want. Well, most everything. Not going to help you if you want to destroy all of Sanctuary and humanity.”

Imperius let out a hollow laugh, “No, the desire for that has lessened to a degree. Removing the true hell spawns of the world is more appealing.”

She smiled, trying to hide a yawn that still slipped into her words, “Well, that is where we can start then. Just killing off demons.”

“Maybe.” He turned to regard her quietly, “Take your rest Aladria. We will speak more in the morning. I…don’t feel like speaking more.”

It was a lie, but he did not want to keep her from the rest mortals needed. It felt strange to…care about the needs of a mortal above his own, but through this whole journey he had been pushing both of them with little regards to what they needed and despite that, they offered friendship. Whatever the reason for that offer, he did not care.

He was grateful for the company, even more so now when he felt burnt out like forgotten embers in the hearth. She nodded, eyes already sliding closed and soon the crease of worry in her face relaxed as she slipped away into rest, perhaps the processed hastened a bit by Imperius reaching out with his own resonance to sooth away any fears or worries she had. 

He was left to the silence again, staring up at the mosaics of valor and war on the ceiling of the armory, nestled now between the two budding nephelem. He ached. His resonance was a hollow moan of despair and defeat. His mind was unable to grasp onto any single idea that didn’t sink into a pit of melancholy. The goals that were once so clear were now muddied, but one small one remained. Aladria and Tevar… nothing would happen to them. He would keep them safe until their mortal coils released their spirits in their ripe old age. 

That was one wrong he could right after dragging him into this whole mess. 

His frame relaxed some as he tried to sink into meditation, to try and allow his mind to go blank, but Tyrael’s words haunted him. Almost as surely as Inarius had been thrown to demons, he himself had been left imprisoned on Santuary. 

Inarius.

The name echoed about in Imperius’s mind, even as he idly traced out the raging demons in the painting above and the angelic soldiers that rose above the swarms. Inarius could very well be alive, in Hell, still trapped for a treaty that was long since destroyed. He should have been returned to Heaven when the treaty was nullified.

That was a wrong that remained. 

One that could be undone.

The idea was a mad one but as he laid there, lost within his own pain and seething grief, the thought gained traction. A raid upon Hell, right to its core, to die valiantly in battle rather than waste away in a Heaven that did not want him. It was a far more appealing thought.

He recalled Aladria’s words, of how the legends spoke of him.

“From the jaws of defeat, victory was plucked.” He murmured softly out loud. “Even against the impossible.” 

It was a thought and there was no counsel to hold him back, no one that would tell him no. 

There was no force in Heaven and Hell that could possibly stop him from diving into the maws of evil and pulling forth Inarius if he still lived. 

Imperius allowed himself a humorless chuckle, letting his mind play out the bloody scenarios of combat and valor that could take place, letting that familiar carnage ease his soul just enough to enter into mediation. 

It was one thought that could be untainted by the harm unleashed upon his soul and remind him of the glorious times of the far past where he still held purpose. 

Still one thought that eased him enough to slip into deeper, blissfully blank, meditation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left a comment on the last chapter <3 It means so much to me and is what really motivated me to get this chapter done! 
> 
> A really emotionally charged chapter 8I It changed A LOT from the original writing of it, a lot was taken out, put in, turned about, and edited to do more character building and well... solving one mystery ; w ; Also setting up for the next arc of this huge fanfic XD;


	10. Remembrance

It seemed ages before either mortal began to stir. Tevar was first to awake, sitting up and stretching with a tired yawn which comically turned in to a slight yelp as he happened to glance over to see Imperius lying on the floor in between the two air mattresses. 

“Fuck man, gave me a jump there!”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“I mean just you-“ Tevar sighed running a hand through his tasseled hair, “Never mind. Morning. Hope you had good dreams but ah… I thought you said angels don’t sleep?”

“They don’t.”

He gave a slow nod, giving Imperius an odd look, “So…you just laid there between us while we slept.”

“Yes.”

The lack of anger in Imperius tone or really of any emotion had Tevar frowning, and already, Imperius could see that almost predictable mortal concern creeping into the man’s expression, “What’s up with you? You seem… depressed.”

“I don’t feel anything right now.”

Not entirely true. Really it was quite the opposite. It was more that Imperius felt far too many emotions at once to sort through, but with no energy or will to really sort through it all. Instead, an aching fatigue had settled upon him, accompanied by an all-encompassing void of apathy that crushed all desire to really do anything.

Tevar sighed, “Not feeling anything is part of the depression.” He paused before shifting to swing his legs off the side of the air mattress, “What happened?”

“As I told Aladria. The truth was simply spoken and made clear where my place in all of this truly is.” 

Tevar glanced over to the still sleeping Aladria before looking back to Imperius. After a moment he sighed and began to rise to his feet, “Ah. Well, since it seems you don’t want to talk, do you want to help me make breakfast?”

“Fine.”

Imperius sat up slowly, wings still a smoky, wisp at his back and even his armor seemed to have dimmed in color. Rather listlessly, he rose to his feet and turned towards Tevar, “Have you everything you need to make your meal?”

“Yeah…should have everything.” He murmured, frowning at the state Imperius was in before gesturing for the archangel to follow him, “You know, it isn’t healthy to keep things bottled up inside. If you want to scream your woes, I’m happy to listen.”

“I don’t feel like screaming.”

“Yeah. And that is what concerns me.” 

The mortal sighed and ran a hand through his hair but did not speak further. Instead he ducked out of the makeshift bedroom and into another armory room where the foodstuff had been stored. The little chest that the mortals referred to as a mini-fridge sat humming in the corner, powered by a make-shift device that Tevar had cobbled together and some crude attempts at copying magical ruins that Aladria had helped to parse in her research. Joining it though were a plethora of other odd unfamiliar items, with only the dishes, pots, and pans being easily to discern. Imperius took in the room blankily, watching as Tevar scurried from one end to the other, pausing to pull out a carton of eggs from the fridge before moving to what he called a ‘camping stove’ set up to the side.

The mortal paused to glgance back at Imperius before gesturing to a few folding chairs that had been set up about a spindly looking table, “You can have a seat. Don’t have to stand in the doorway like an unwelcomed guest. Technically this is your house and we are the guests.”

Imperius’s only response was a muted nod as he approached the chairs, eying them for a moment before moving to settle against the wall. The crudely constructed things did not look like they could handle the weight of any given mortal, let alone himself and he really didn’t need a bout of shame at having the chair collapse and drop him to the floor. He almost hated how fragile he was that even the thought of the mortal laughing at him for any reason would make him want to throw himself headfirst over the side of Heaven into Hell at that moment. 

Truly he was pathetic. 

 

“So what’s the plan of attack today? Other than playing ten games of Sanctuary Combat?” Tevar asked as he pushed a few eggs about the pan he was working over. The question caused Imperius to glance up, jarred out of his own thoughts for a moment before he looked back down at the floor.

“I don’t know.”

“We going to fight demons?”

“Maybe.”

“So, training? Research? Reviving more angels?”

“Mm.” 

Tevar let out a sigh, glancing over his shoulder,“Quite the conversationalist today. Did something happen between you and Tyrael? Another fight?”

Imperius let out a humorless chuckle, “A fight would have been preferred.” 

Tevar turned back to his work with a frown, giving the frying pan a shake before flipping the two eggs over, “It is weird to see you so…put out Imperius. Has to be something you want to do today.”

“No. Not really.”

The mortal let out a frustrated sigh this time and shook his head, only glancing up when a sleepy Aladria shuffled in, “Morning sunshine.” 

“Mmm…do we have any coffee?” she murmured, blearily looking about.

“Haven’t started a poor man’s brew if you want to make it. Might want to get a cup for Imperius though…or find some gasoline to pour on his wings to see if that will get him fired up again. He’s in need of some sort of energy boost.”

“I’m fine.”

“See? I just suggested throwing gasoline on him and not a single angry outbursts or insult! Defiantly needs the strongest expresso you can make.” 

Aladria shook her head at his words before moving to start ruffling through the supplies to get out the tin of coffee, “Imperius, is there any water we could use nearby?”

“The fountain in the central chamber.”

“Do you want to come with me?” 

“If you want.”

The woman shared a look with Tevar, and Imperius could guess what they were thinking. No doubt to them he looked weak now. Burned out and listless and as much as he wanted to get angry over that and puff up again, all he could manage was a small hiss under his breath as he slumped forward a bit.

“Imperius. What happened last night? I don’t want to keep prying but…how can we help if you won’t tell us why? We are really worried about you right now.”

The archangel of valor glanced up at Aladria before looking away, “There is nothing that can be said to help when it is revealed you were betrayed by those you cared for. More or less told you were exiled, sealed away on purpose.” He looked down at his hands, clenching them some, “I was a threat to Heaven.”

“That….is a lot to take in.” Tevar murmured, “How did you find all that out?”

“Tyrael made it quite clear last night.”

Again the mortals shared a look before Aladria moved to sit beside him, setting the bag of coffee grinds aside, “I’m sure not everyone agrees with Tyrael.”

“You would be surprised.” Imperius drawled, “Can we not talk about this? The damage is done.”

“Yeah, the damage is done but now we got to fix it.” Tevar responded, dividing up the eggs onto two paper plates, “We have to have some sort of plan, some goal in mind. Anything just to keep the mind distracted.”

Aladria reached over to touch Imperius’s arm gently, “What is the first idea that comes to mind? That can be a start.”

Imperius fell silent. Most of the goals and ideas he had before had all but burnt out and he was unable to grasp them, however, one thought seemed to remain. One, rather suicidal idea with little chance of success, but it was the only one that brought any sort of order to the chaos of his thoughts. The single idea he had been turning over in his head the entire time the mortals slept. 

“…Inarius.”

“The guy who made Sanctuary?” Tevar asked moving to sit at the table. “What about him?”

“I want to set him free. He was locked away in Hell, given over to Mephisto,” Imperius raised his gaze up from the floor, a few errant sparks flickering from his smoky wings, “The only reason the lord of hatred even wanted him was for the face he was the lover of his daughter.” 

Tevar cocked an eyebrow as he came over, handing a plate of eggs to Aladria, “Huh. Sort of surprised you’d want to. An angel that slept with a demon doesn’t seem the sort of angel you want in Heaven.”

Imperius let out a humorless chuckle, “Ironically, I have more in common with him than any angel currently in Heaven. We were both abandoned, sealed away, given over as sacrifice for a greater good. Not to mention the treaty lays in tatters and he should have been returned.”

“So more like, just collecting on old debts in a way?” 

“I suppose you could phrase it like that.” The archangel of valor looked over to the window, shoulders tensing, “But most would term such a mission suicidal. A fight to the heart of the realm of hatred, right to the doors of Mephisto’s lair is not an easy task. None have set foot, in fact, within the sanctum of hatred.” 

“First time for everything right?” Tevar said between mouthfuls of his breakfast, “I mean, we got nothing to lose in going after this Inarius right?”

Imperius huffed, a few more sparks exiting his wings, “Only your lives.” The archangel shook his head, “If this task is to be done, I will do so alone. You two would not survive in Hell.”

“Listen, you might say that, but we both know I’m coming if you say yes or no, even if I have to get a rent-a-car to drive right into Hell’s maw.” Tevar grumbled, “We are coming with you.”

“You both are fools.”

“Yes, but we are your fools.” Tevar said with a grin.

Aladria chuckled softly before changing the topic before Imperius could attempt another word of protest, “So you believe Inarius may still be alive and imprisoned?”

“Perhaps so.” Imperius murmured. “He is said to be pulled apart by hooks within a hall of mirrors, always to gaze upon his ruined body.”

The curator winced slightly, “That sounds horrible…and to endure that for so long, he’s probably lost his mind.”

“That or turned into some sort of horrid demon-angel thing,” Tevar murmured.

“Perhaps…I do not know much of what happened to him.” Imperius paused before slowly rising to his feet, “Maybe it is time to see and if he is too far gone or altered, at the very least can put him out of his misery.” 

Aladria nodded, although her features were a touch preplexed, “He must be someone you care about if you are willing to risk this.”

“A little.” Imperius growled, “I did not care for his actions yes but I feel his punishment was best served out in Heaven, not handed over to Mephisto as a show of good will between us to ensure no one dabbled in Sanctuary. And Hell broke that covenant, so we should be returned the traitor.”

His wings had flared up a bit as a new, albeit somewhat suicidal goal began to continue to form in his resonance, “As I said before, you do not have to come. It will be a battle where survival is not guaranteed.”

Aladria chuckled some, rising to her feet, “I have hope that we will triumph. At the very least your valor will carry us through to a glorious end if that is to be our fate.”

“You’ve already carried the party thus far, what’s one more Hellscape eh?” Tevar added with a smile.

“Fate does not control the nephelem so perhaps there is a chance of survival. Your ancestors had an irritating habit of beating the odds.” He paused a moment before turning to regard the two, “But both of you will require training. Skeletons cannot be compared to the monstrosities of Hell that we will be confronted with.” 

“I wasn’t expecting Hell to be filled with small, rather cute animals that is for sure” Tevar teased.

“No...that is only in...certain whimsical places created by Malthael,” He grumbled under his breath.

Aladria and Tevar both arched an eyebrow but Imperius offered no further comment on what was said, instead starting to leave the room, “You will also need better equipment. None remain in the gardens or halls of valor, but perhaps in the halls of justice something might have been left behind that could be properly salvaged.”

He had been loathed to really enter those halls since arriving, even more so when it’s resident master had returned and no doubt was brooding in that area. However, none had entered those halls since Tyrael’s fall and in fact, parts of it had been barred off entirely as the former angels of justice had fled to other angelic flights, most in shame of Tyrael’s fall. There was a chance that some equipment remained, even if it was in poor condition. Anything found could be melted down and reforged and the lingering magic stripped to enforce stronger enhancements. 

“Both of you get dressed and take care of your mortal affairs. Then meet me in the large training chambers. You will find them at the opposite side of where we stand now. There, I shall personally train both of you.” He paused, looking over them as a bit more fire sputtered to life in the black smoke of his wings, “And I tell you now, I shall not go easy on either of you.” 

With that said, he vanished from sight, making the leap over to the halls of justice and touching down just outside as he turned over everything that would need to be done just to prepare for this made scheme that had taken root. 

Imperius was dubious of their chances of success, but now, he could care less about the odds of dying. There was no true reason to remain alive. What purpose he thought he served had been taken away now, left with the void and knowledge of how little his kind wanted him. At the very least, if he were to fall during this encounter, he would be able to do so with a final brilliant burn of valor and wrath. It was the only idea now that seemed to bring a spark back to his resonance although the hole that still gaped within him remained, wanting something more to ease the growing ache. 

The growing void, the missing notes of his resonance, hurt more than any physical wound ever done against him by the spawn of Hell or even one of the Prime Evils themselves. Perhaps battle would be the remedy, or at least be something to temporarily bury the pain of betrayal. A part of him hoped this would be the final battle he would ever take part in and find rest at last for the gnawing fatigue upon his soul.

A rather morose hope, some would say. 

Imperius shook his head, pulling his thoughts from his grim musing and turned his attention to the task at hand.

He looked up at the halls of justice briefly before entering, noting the decay of Heaven was worse here than in other parts, more or less because it had been the longest part of heaven abandoned. Here, the pillars carried still scars of Hell’s attack. Deep cracks and broken masonry remained scattered across the floor as the most anyone had done was to simply purge it of lingering lesions. There were no angels that took up residence within the halls, not since Tyrael’s fall. None had cared to restore it to its former glory.

He paused to run his hand over one of the pillars he passed, feeling a pang as he took in the dreary state of the place, remembering a time when it had been filled with shining light and power. Its decay felt like a testament to how the counsel and aspects of Heaven themselves had decayed since the discovery of the Nephelem. 

The archangel of valor shook his head before heading deeper into the halls, grumbling to himself as he overturned chests and reliquaries to find a few pieces of armor or any sort of weapon. Even if it was of poor quality, the archangel of valor already had plans to use most of it for materials to forge better equipment for the two mortals. It was more just a matter of being able to find enough to salvage. Despite being abandoned for so long, even the hall of justice had slim pickings, forcing him to take his search deeper into the halls of justice. The place, at least was silent now as the souls of those who had died, screaming in rage as they were denied justice, had faded away now it seemed. 

The whole place was as silent as a tomb, neglected, and filled with a cold, empty sadness.

“How long have these halls been empty for?”

The quietly asked question from above caused Imperius to jump a bit, more startled as he had been so engrossed in his task and not expecting to have to speak to anyone. He glanced up to see Tyrael sitting upon the banister of one of the upper balconies, staring off into space and no doubt taking in the decay of his old domain. The archangel of valor let out a snort, wings drawing in close, but begrudged a response.

“Since you fell. That I thought you knew or I suppose your mortal eyes did not wish to see the slow decay of justice.”

Tyrael was silent from on high where he sat, one leg dangling over the side and staring off into the shadows of his once glorious halls. Imperius could feel the guilt and sorrow that flowed off of Tyrael, but he felt no pity. A hum of quite discontent was the only emotion he felt for the other angel, quickly turning back to his task. 

“May I ask what has you raiding the halls of justice, Imperius?”

“You may ask, but I will not answer you.” 

The archangel of justice gave a small nod, still not looking down at Imperius, “I’m sorry. For whatever worth that means to you.”

“It means absolutely nothing to me, Tyrael. I’m surprise you linger. The mortal world below is probably more to your liking.” Imperius sneered, picking up a few more pieces of armor, eying them over before adding it to the small collection he had gathered in a chest he had commandeered. 

“Maybe.” 

The archangel of valor snorted again, slamming the chest closed, wings giving off a few sparks of anger before he moved to pick up the chest under one arm, “Then go. No one will stop you. No one will care if you leave again. I certainly will not spare you any further thoughts.”

“You brought me back, and now you are quick to dismiss me from Heaven.”

“I brought you back because I did not know, Tyrael. I did not know of anything that had happened in the past. If I had known…” He trailed off, feeling his resonance ache, his grief once more rising up within his chest, “Had I known, I would have left you where you lay and spare us both the agony of this accursed existence.” 

With that said, he vanished again, returning once more to his own halls. He appeared at the center of the training fields in a flash, wings spreading a bit. A few more sparks were coming in as the encounter with Tyrael had managed to flare up his old anger again. He paused to glance about and quickly spotted the two mortals sitting on the various benches at the edge of the grounds, Aladria with the book of Tyrael in her lap, brow furrowed as she continued to read from it and Tevar, fiddling around with his crossbow, an assortment of daggers and knives lying on the floor. The archangel approached them, wings flaring in greeting as he eyed the two up.

“I see you’ve made it without getting lost.” 

“Despite how vague you are at directions, we found our way.” Tevar said with a chuckle. “So what’s the plan now, oh master Imperius?”

Imperius gave a nod before turning to point towards the training fields. “There are training dummies here you can practice on while I work,” He began, gesturing to a few standing totems out in the field, “And you can control the flow of the room by the levers there to the right. It will be a good warm up and you can experiment with strikes on your own and train for a time at your own pace without my guidance.”

Tevar arched an eyebrow, “You won’t be joining us?”

“I will, but not to start. I have work to attend in terms of your equipment,” He gesture to both of them, “You will need armor and better weapons if you are to last even a few minutes in Hell.”

Aladria closed the book she had been reading and glancing down at her staff, “I suppose a mop handle is not going to do much, even if it is enchanted.”

“I will forge you better armaments,” he assured her, before giving a jerk of his head towards a passage leading away from the training grounds, “I will be in the forges but I would not enter. The heat that will be used could vaporize a mortal. If I’m needed, move to the doorway and shout.”

“Wait, you are going to…actually forge weapons?” Tevar asked, eyes widening a bit.

“Did you expect me to just summon them out of thin air? Before I was given my title of archangel of valor, when I was still a… rather young angel, I not only trained for war, but learned the ways of the forge.” Imperius said with a huff, “Solarion I forged with my own hands in the heart of a dying star.”

“That’s honestly rather impressive. Did you create all of the weapons of Heaven?” Tevar asked, interest peaked. 

“I may not have forged all of them, but I have worked to better every weapon that was wielded by the archangels of Heaven.” He gave a small wave to the training field, “Get to your training. I will come see you after I’ve finished.”

With that said, Imperius turned away, vanishing again to appear within the ancient forge of Heaven. 

It had been a long time since Imperius had the chance to enter the forge and properly apply the trade he had taken to heart to master. In his youth, he had practically lived within the fire of the forge and it was perhaps one reason his wings had taken on a far more fiery aspect than that of most angels. As he appeared at its heart, he felt a wave of nostalgia lap over him and a small kernel of comfort as he took in the familiar worn walls and assortment of tools. He had to pause though and let out a rather irked huff as he noted the place was a mess, as if someone had tried to use the forge but had just fumbled about blindly. The tools he had always meticulously put away lay scattered over work benches and scraps of metal and unfinished, crudely made weaponry lay about the floor. Imperius shook his head as he set the chest of salavaged armor and weapons down before starting to busy himself with cleaning up the forge and putting everything back in order. The task relaxed him, taking him back to the days where the stress of leadership was not placed upon his shoulders and all there was to do was fight for the glory of Heaven and help force whatever it was that was needed at the time. 

In short order, he had the room back in order and he gave it one last glance about before he moved to the now dormant heart of the forge. 

Imperius placed his hand upon the dead stones within and they flared to life beneath his hand, unleashing a heat that would have instantly destroyed any mortal. The feel of that warmth brought a small rush of excitement to Imperius, and he quickly moved to start pumping the bellows, causing the already wild flame to grow higher and hotter, lighting up the whole forge with its warm, energetic light. 

It made him feel like a much younger angel, back to when he had pumped the bellows for the first time and was immediately at love with crafting the implements of war and conflict. It was here he had forged nearly every weapon and armor enhancement for the angels of Heaven, personally fitting each angel of valor with customized additions to their own armor. It was here he had found his fire, fearlessly plunging himself into the work of the forge and then testing every weapon he made in training before approving it for use in the fields of battle. Already a fervor of excitement managed to tremble through his ravaged resonance as he took out the scraps of metal salvaged and began to pour them into smelter that sat within the forge’s heart.

It was not long after that the whole of the forge bellowed with an assortment of noises from the roar of the fire to the slame of metal against metal and the clink of a hammer. The room was filled with light and energy that had been unleashed from their enchantments briefly, only to be captured in carefully placed runes and etching onto new armor and weapons. Imperius’s own wings had flared back to life with the familiar work, his mind absorbed in the task at hand. The archangel did not need to rest and did not suffer from the fatigue of mortal blacksmiths, striking hard and true each time, and molding the metal to his will. Each strike forced heavenly energy into it, placing strong enchantments that would serve well against Hell. He was in his element again, for the time being, and the nostalgic work only inspired better memories of the praises shared for his work.

That, at least, was something the betrayal could not lessen.

The only difficulty he encountered with the work was sizing it to fit mortals rather than be augmentations to an existing angel’s given form. Not to mention having to adjust the weight and fit without sacrificing the integrity of the piece. He did not know how much time had passed, only taking a step back when the work was done. He felt a smidge of pride at what he had created with what limited resources he had, carefully inspecting each piece before he was finally satisfied. 

He moved the pieces to one of the work benches to lay them out gently, for now leaving them here to temper properly with the energy of the crystal arch and given time for all the enchantments to settle within the runes. In two days’ time, the pieces would be ready for use. 

They had two days’ time then to prepare to battle their way through Hell.

Imperius stepped back, vanishing and reappearing in the training fields, his wings more their familiar fire, although still somewhat muted and close to his body. He was pleased to see the two mortals attacking the dummies, although already he was noting several mistakes in their form and more noticeably, the steadily increase of what kind of abilities they seemed to be able to conjure up in combat.

What caused him to pause though was seeing Tyrael sitting on one of the benches, occasionally offering the two tips on straightening up their form now and then. That caused Imperius’s hackles to rise, although he ignored the feeling and the archangel of justice in favore of stalking over to the two mortals to speak with them.

Tevar paused, grinning at Imperius as he approached and gestured to a training dummy covered in arrows, “I think I’m getting better at this.”

“Ah yes. If the minions of Hell decide to stand still, you most certainly will defeat them,” Imperius drawled, holding out his own hand and summoning Solarion to him, “But how about we see how you and Aladria do against a moving target.”

Aladria brightened, clutching the book of Tyrael closer, “You ready to join the training then?”

“Yes. Your armor and new weapons are ready, they need time to settle. For now though,” Imperius took a step back, his stance tensed as he pointed his spear towards the two, “Try and hit me. If you can.” 

The two mortals looked at each other for a moment before seemingly coming to some sort of silent consensus as they turned together with battle cries of their own and launch themselves at the archangel of valor. 

It didn’t take long for Imperius to surmise his two companions were not the strongest warriors he had ever had to train. The first charge he hadn’t even needed to teleport, or even move all that much. A casual side-step was all it took and he had both of them sprawling out on the floor. He was all but leaning on Solarion as the two scrambled to get up and come at him again, only to meet the same fate. Over and over he moved out of the reach of their spells and attacks before launching into immediate counter-attacks of his own sending one or both of them flying, although he was holding back, leaving only a minor bruise here or there.

However, as with all nephelem, it seemed their powers were developing slowly but surely and in their own unique ways. Tevar was getting faster on his feet and had unwittingly mastered an ability to move more rapidly across the battle and perform rather extraordinary feats of agility as he tumbled and rolled. There was a wild, rather undisciplined stride to his power though, and at times, shadows of animals or sparks of energy more akin to the druids were forming as he fought, no doubt the man pulling more on his attachment to the wilder areas he seemed to prefer living in, if his choice of housing location was anything to go on. 

Aladria was finding her stride as well, not one to move fast, she seemed to focus on strong defensive spells, able to erect shields of energy about her, although even those were evolving. Her spells no longer were just lighting bursts or small fireballs, but it seemed she was channeling the knowledge within the book of Tyrael to summon constructs that imitated the legends. It had been rather amusing for her to try and counter him with an imperfect copy of himself, forge of light and fire that scorched the ground as it charged. 

Still, despite the new abilities and the obvious growth of their power, Imperius idly wondered if they would be able to last more than five minutes in the fiery arena of Hell. 

“You both are doing better.” Imperius commented as he watched the two mortals slump onto a bench, both soaked in sweat, “But you need to improve faster.”

“I thought I was improving faster.” Tevar groaned, flopping back, “I feel like I’m jumping about the place like a grasshopper on crack.”

Aladria gave him a hard nudge before turning to Imperius, “Is there a rush to get to Hell?”

Imperius crossed his arms, “It is never good to delay in a raid to Hell. It gives the enemy more time to form defenses or for our intent to be known. We have two days’ time to prepare.”

“And here I thought the mortals were jesting.” Tyrael murmured with a shake of his head, “You really intend to lay siege to Hell?”

Imperius glanced up at Tyrael as the archangel of justice spoke at last to him. “That is my intent, yes.”

The other angel rose to his feet and gave a small jump forward to come to alight just beside Imperius, his wings tensed, “These mortals will not last long within the bowels of Hell.”

“They will in time.” Imperius responded. “I do not remember asking for your opinion on the matter.” 

 

“Can I ask what mad errand has you wanting to plunge into Hell with two young Nephelem?”

“We are going after some guy named Inarius or something.” Tevar responded before Imperius could formulate his retort, “And we will be ready to tussle with Hell, one way or another. Even if that involves just standing behind Imperius as he unleashes his particular brand of heavenly carnage.” 

That gave Tyrael a start, his wings flaring out some in alarming, “Surely you jest?”

“No.” Aldaria said quietly, although a smile tugged her lips, “We’ve got nothing to lose and we are standing by Imperius on this. We know the risks involved.” 

“There is nothing left in Heaven to fight for,” Imperius responded, his tone flat, “So might as well make one last grand push into Hell and take back Inarius given the terms of our treaty with Hell regarding his imprisonment is null and void.” 

Tyrael shook his head, “This is madness Imperius.”

“Oh? I don’t recall needing your approval.” Imperius growled, straightening up to his full height, “I care little about what plans you have for this world, what games you’ll play. Do what you will, I will not impede you.”

The archangel of valor turned to his two companions, gesturing for them to follow, “In two days’ time, we will go to the crater of Mount Arreat and from there, proceed on foot into-”

Imperius came to a halt when El’Duin suddenly was pressed against his back, Tyrael standing tall before him. The resonance of justice was burning bright and hot with a slow burn of irritation, but there was a feeling of stubborn conviction as well that Imperius hadn’t felt since the archangel of justice tore off his own wings to become a mortal man. 

“Imperius, what I did was wrong and I know you have no reason to forgive me, but I will not see you throw away your life or the lives of these mortals in some bid for a grand suicide! Brash as you are, it is not like you to want to go to Hell to rescue one whom you saw a traitor! To what end will rescuing Inarius benefit anyone?” Tyrael demanded, “What is the reasoning behind this?”

“The reason? The reason is simple enough.” Imperius growled, reaching down to push the blade away, “Because I can. Because I will!” 

There was conviction in Imperius’s words and his wings flared more, gaining a bit more of his usual life. In a way, there was something almost liberating about tossing out all the expectations he had before to finally do something of his own choice without any counsel to bar him. It also felt good to have allies, even if it was nephelem. He could feel that his answer did not sit well with Tyrael and that also gave him a small spat of satisfaction. Nevertheless, as persistent as ever, Tyrael once more moved to stand in front of Imperius, wings flared out. 

“Why now?! You had many a time in the past to save him, but why now do you want to free Inarius!?”

“Because I remembered him. Because now I know what it feels to be imprisoned with no way free, trapped within your own mind with time passing before your eyes in darkness!” Imperius snarled back, “Because now… now I have nothing to lose with trying to find him in Hell. I have no Heaven left to defend. There is no counsel or laws that must be abided by.”

Tyrael was silent, his resonance still smoldering with conviction, anger, and confusion, but there was a slight hum of acceptance. A sigh escaped him as he stepped aside, his grip tightening about the hilt of El’Duin, “Heaven is here still, Imperius. The arch is still here and the light of Heaven remains. It can be restored.”

Imperius let out a hollow laugh, “Heaven is not itself without the souls, the angels, and the life that brought music and laughter to the highest spires. There is no one here but you and I and you will return to Sanctuary to help the humans before thinking about restoring Heaven, and I….well, you made it clear our brethren had no use for me so why should I care what becomes of it now.” 

“Imperius it wasn’t….” Tyrael began before his voice trailed off, looking away. He remained silent for a long moment before his wings tensed and he lifted his head to regard Impeirus again, “I will go with you then. To hell and do battle. I will not remain here alone in Heaven.”

“I’m sure something or someone in Sanctuary needs your immediate attention,” Imperius growled, shoving pass Tyrael to head to the panel to set up the training grounds for the next round.

“Sanctuary is steeped in far too much evil for a single archangel to do anything about it.” Tyrael moved to follow after Imperius, wings tensed and held close to his body, the tendrils of light wisping out sporadically, “I cannot help humanity as things stand now. Heaven needs to be restored and if that is to happen, then it will need its Valor once more.”

“So now it needs Valor.” Imperius drawled.

“...I feel you two need to have a sit down with a psychologist or something. A marriage counselor maybe,” Tevar interjected from behind the two, “I mean, seems you two have a lot of baggage and history to unpack.”

Aldaria gave a hard nudge to Tevar, glowering at him before she stepped up next to Imperius, “Two archangels is better than one, regardless of feelings. Perhaps a common goal is the first step towards repairing the bridges that seemed burned between you two.”

“Is it a common goal? Tyrael seems to have much protest about this venture,” Imperius growled. 

Tyrael was silent for a long moment as he stood there. His wings remained tucked close to his body, almost wrapping about his frame which indicated his obvious distress and his resonance carried a waiver of discomfort and sorrow. He lifted his head, as if to speak more than once before finally shaking his head with a sigh.

“I have always wanted to rescue Inarius, since the moment he was locked away. He was my brother, as close to a sibling as our kind could achieve. When we worked together, it was like we were an extension of each other, two halves of what was once a whole.” He looked away, hands clenching, “When he was ripped away and imprison in Hell, I will not lie, it was like having half of my very soul ripped away, a half of me that… has never been able to be replaced.” 

“Bold claims from someone who has sent nephelem into Hell for other tasks such as attempting to free Izual and never sparing a mission for your sibling.” Imperius drawled. 

Tyrael’s wings flared and he made a scoffing sound, “Even the nephelem and heroes of the past would have struggled to navigate Hell to reach Mephisto’s sanctum of hatred. They have only ever traversed the outer rims of Hell’s landscapes.” 

Aladria cleared her throat some, looking between the two, “So… no one has ever actually succeeded in reaching this place?”

“It has been reached. Once.” Imperius began slowly, “When Malthael was with us and able to offer his aid in strategy, but we are not looking to use an army in this case. A precision strike upon Hell, one which is coming from an entrance based in Sanctuary may throw off their guard enough to allow our small force to slip in.”

“They aren’t expecting us. They probably don’t assume we are this suicidal.” Tevar chuckled, “But sounds like we need to hit hard and fast and we are going to need every willing participant we can get our hands on.”

Imperius let out a growl, knowing that Tevar spoke sense and really, there was no reason to doubt Tyrael would fight at their side. Past betrayals aside, Tyrael would never work with Hell for any reason, least of all to kill another angel. 

He had proven he was more than capable of being far crueler in how he wounded his own kin. 

“Fine.” Imperius growled. “But do not expect Tyrael to be any more of a help than either of you.”

“I have fought Hell before, Imperius.” 

“But you haven’t held your blade properly since you became Wisdom, easily defeated by nephelem, other angels, and all the legions of Hell. Slain in combat.” Imperius responded with a growl, “Forgive me if I think you are far less the warrior you once were.”

Tyrael stiffened and looked like he was about to retort until Aladria stepped in, holding her hands up, “Fighting won’t do us any good. How about we split up and train one on one? Experience in dealing with Hell will keep us alive no doubt. I can go with Tyrael and Tevar can go with you Imperius.”

“Fine with me! I still need to punch Imperius for all the slapping around of my ass he’s done!” Tevar grumbled.

Imperius looked between the two mortals then giving a more heated look towards Tyrael before letting out a growl, “Fine. Come Tevar.”

The archangel of Valor was loathed to leave Aladria alone with Tyrael, even if it was just across the training yard. A part of him was convinced that the other angel would somehow turn her against him and would lead to him only getting more knives in his back. Yet another part knew that she was only doing this to keep them separated and maintain a peace between them. For that, he supposed he was somewhat grateful.

It at least allowed for the training to continue without incident and being able to work one on one with Tevar made it easier to help the budding nephelem get some of his foot work for combat more streamlined. Still, there were limits to the mortal body and after a few more hours, he found himself once more sitting with the two as they devoured their food in the atrium of the hall of valor, only this time, Tyrael had joined them. 

Imperius found himself unable to relax with the archangel of justice sitting nearby next to Tevar and leaned up against a pillar, even if he was silent. The tension was palpable and one wrong thing said no doubt would spark another fight between the two. That electrified tension did not sit well with the mortals, and it was eventually Aladria who attempted to diffuse it some, clearing her throat to speak.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how long has the Eternal Conflict been going on?” Aladria asked, wiping her mouth daintily on a napkin, “I’ve heard about it and I see it heavily referenced in a lot of the art here in Heaven so was just curious where it all began. By mortal accounts, it happened the day Heaven and Hell were created.”

The archangel of valor paused, considering the question for a moment before speaking, head tilted thoughtfully, “Mmm. It has been going on for a long time, but it was not…an official war until much further after the point of creation.”

Tevar arched an eyebrow, his own curiosity peaked, “What do you mean?”

“Heaven and Hell were create at the same instance, true, but… back then, conflict between the two was far more… primitive,” Tyrael murmured, causing all eyes to turn to him, “Most of our ancient ancestors roosted directly upon the arch, protecting it as the demons swarmed and protected their own core, the Black Abyss. Most conflict came in foraging parties of either brushing up against each other, not necessarily hunting the other down.”

“That is…hard to imagine.” Aladria’s brow furrowed, “So there were no buildings like today?”

Imperius shook his head,“No. Nothing but a few basic structures. If you ever look closely at the Crystal Arch, you can even see the grooves and rivets created from years of use as perches and as a strut for simple platforms. It was conflict, but not like it would evolve into, although exact details of the early days of Heaven are… lost records.” 

“It was before the library of fate. Before the pools of wisdom. Before any of the ageris counsel.” Tyrael explained to the two mortals, “Hell was in rather the same way. The seven heads did not all split at once and did coalesce into a few prime evils before finally separating into the seven as you mortals would know them, but records of Hell’s history are even more obscure. No one is even sure truly where the Black Abyss formed from the body of Tathamet.”

Aladria nodded, “I see,” She murmured, “So where their archangels that ruled over Heaven in those early days? Or different tribes? How did your ancestors organize?”

At that, both angels fell silent, neither one providing a quick answer. Imperius shifted a bit. Most angels did not even discuss their origins and history within Heaven, let alone with mortals. Especially when Malthael had come to power and he had rather aggressively had certain aspects of Heaven buried deep in the archives and not taught to younger angels. The mortal idea of Heaven though, what they believed and theorized, really only encapsulated a very…minute segment of the overall history of the High Heavens.

“No. the counsel would happen later.” Imperius began slowly, “At one time, all of Heaven fell under the guidance of a single archangel.”

“Who? Was it the archangel of wisdom?” Aladria asked excitedly, “It was said it was he who was the powerful head of the counsel until the angel of death struck him down.”

“No and… Malthael was both wisdom and the angel of death.” He paused again, tilting his head, “And he did lead the counsel, but it was his predecessor, his teacher, that once was the ruler of all Heaven.”

Tyrael gave a small shake of his head, “…much it seems has been forgotten or changed. I would think Malthael’s horrific attack would have been something well documented and passed down.”

Aladria gave a shrug, “A lot of the past has been lost. The age of the darkening is more mythology to us now than fact but…I’ve never heard in any record, not even a footnote that there was a leader of Heaven before the counsel.” 

“It was a different time. A different Heaven. It was before even my time.” Tyrael said sitting up a bit more, “By the time I was born, Malthael was already crowned the new leader of Heaven.”

“It was almost before my time,” Imperius murmured, “Malthael and Auriel were born before myself and knew him better.” 

“Knew who?” Aladria pressed, the excitement growing in her voices. 

Imperius paused, tensing as he recalled a name that he had not spoken in centuries, “Magtherius, the archangel of virtue.”

 

“Magtherius,” she murmured, brow furrowing, “I have never come across that name before.”

“Heaven’s past is a much guarded secret, even among the angels.” Imperius began, “The archangel of wisdom… made such discussions of it forbidden, reasoning a focus towards the future was more prudent.” The archangel of valor paused again, shoulders hunching, “Inarius no doubt would have not taught a whisper of Heaven’s pass to any nephelem.” 

Tevar looked between the two angels as he opened a bag of chips, “So who was this Magtherium guy?”

“Magtherius,” Imperius corrected sharply, “He was the first archangel, the archangel of virtue, the architect of Heaven, the creator of our laws. The one who discovered how to resonate with the arch to create more of our kind or summon them back to the arch reformed.” Imperius trailed off, wings tensing a bit, “Perhaps one of the wisest, most compassionate, and patient angel to exist. An angel who has true vision to see the very weaves of reality, so it was said.”

“Wiser than the archangel of wisdom?” Aladria asked, eyes wide.

That earned chuckle from Imperius, “Who do you think it that taught Malthael his wisdom? Or Itherael how to read the scrolls of fate? Or even hope how to sing?” He paused, looking down at his hands, “He even mentored myself in regards to combat and helped me find purpose.”

“Sounds like every archangel knew him.” Tevar glanced to Tyrael, “Except you?”

Tyrael chuckled softly, with a shake of his head, “To the others, he was a mentor. For myself and Inarius…he might be considered our father as it is his energy that makes up my resonance.”

“How? Did you create you himself?” Aladria asked, “Much like how mortals do?”

Imperius shook his head at the curiosity of the mortals, “When an angel dies, their spirit returns to the arch to be reborn. Some return exactly as they were, others do not, and may be reborn in a new form. Sometimes the energy melds with others to form an entirely new being and other times, the energy splits and forms multiples.” He paused, glancing over towards Tyrael, “Magtherius fell in battle and Malthael moved all of Heaven to try and bring him back, but his energy did not manifest, not as planned.”

“The energy did not meld with any other, but in the last moments, I am told, split completely into two separate, angels. Myself and Inarius,” Tyrael let out another quiet, humorless laugh, “You can imagine that the day of my birth was not one of great fanfare. For the longest time I was seen as a reminder of the failure to bring back beloved Magtherius.” He paused, head bowing some and voice growing quieter, “Really, Inarius and I were the only company the other had in those early days, except well… one angel in Heaven who reached out to us.”

 

There was a stretch of silence then as Imperius tensed, unwanted memories starting to rise above the ache of betrayal and bring about a sudden melancholy. He knew who Tyrael spoke of. It was hard to forget the day the lightsong to bring back Magtherius failed and how even Auriel had stood by silently. How he had been the first to step forward to greet the new angels. 

Tyrael was silent for a moment, although he glanced up at Imperius briefly before looking away, “Things have changed a great deal since then, the counsel would form a few decades after that as Malthael began to regulate the duties of Heaven as it expanded and the finite number of our kin was slowly reached.”

There was a tension now in the air, sitting heavily and Imperius felt a small surge of discontent, wanting to be both angry at Tyrael, hating him for all the wrong he had done against him, while another part wanted all of it to go away and somehow go back to how things were before. The memories of the Heaven of his youth, of the Heaven that was created under Magtherius and how they had all once been like… it only made the pain within his resonance hurt more.

Aladria looked between the two with a hint of worry while Tevar finally broke the silence, clearing his throat, “Seems Heaven has a complicated history then…you’ll have to point out statues of this Magtherius if we see any. Sort of want to get a good look at em.”

“Myself as well.” She paused with a small chuckle, “Perhaps on our rush into hell, we will be able to maybe gleam some information about Hell’s past? Sometimes the best way to strategize against an enemy is to know where they come from.”

“Speaking of Hell,” Tevar interrupted, “You think we are going to face any prime evils or something like that down there?” 

“It is a possibility. In my time the Black Soul stone had been broken and the prime evil Diablo was unleashed again upon the world. But who is to say he wasn’t broken apart, the seven evils returned to their true form?” Imperius gave a shrug, “We will deal with that if it comes to pass. At the very least, there is some fiend pulling the strings of Hell.”

“Nice. So keeping this raid on hell casual. I can dig it.” Tevar leaned back, “You, me, Aladria, and Tyrael. Just out for jaunty stroll in Hell to go find Tyrael’s brother.” 

 

Imperius snorted, “I could regale you with tails of the monstrosities we could face-“

“No no. I’m happy going into this blind and not letting the reality hit me until we get there.” Tevar interrupted.

Aladria sighed, giving a shake of her head before looking to the two archangels. For a moment she bit her lip before finally she looked away, “…do you think… do you think we will survive?”

Imperius regarded her closely, feeling a pang in his own soul. A part of him was fairly sure they were going to their death. It was a final glorious charge to the end and to go out in a burst of glory, taking as many hellspawn as they could with them. 

Something else within his resonance though wanted to reject those very thoughts now. The mortals, despite his dislike and hatred of them, saw him as a figure capable of making what was seen as impossible, possible. That somehow, when all else failed, he would managed to wretch triumph from the jaws of defeat. They put such faith in him and he could tell in her question, she wasn’t looking for the truth. She was looking for the comfort of valor.

“We will succeed.” Imperius declared, voice gaining a bit of his usual strength, “Do not fear failure, Aladria. Whatever hell beasts rise up, whatever demon of old decides to challenge me again, I will not falter in dispatching as I have done time and time again!” 

He rose to his feet, letting his old fire find its way into his resonance again, if only for a moment, his wings flaring up with their old fire and for a moment, looking as he had when they had first met, “Both of you have improved immensely since starting to train and in a few days’ time, I have no doubt that the cowards of Hell will tremble before us, reminded once more of the righteous fury of Heaven as it falls down upon them. We will pay them tenfold for Diablo’s attack upon Heaven by desecrating Mephisto’s very lair with our light!”

Tevar grinned, rising to his feet as well, the fervor of valor creeping into him, “Then what are we standing around for? Let’s go for round two! You and I vs Aladria and Tyrael! Two vs two training!”

Tyrael rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders, “It has been a long while since Imperius and I spared and I feel I need to prove my metal once more. That despite the ages, I have not lost my edge in battle.”

“You will try, Tyrael and I will bury you in the floor of the training ground,” Imperius growled back.

Aladria chuckled, rising to her own feet, “That is all and well, but it seems unfair to give Imperius such a handicap as putting up with Tevar’s shenanigans and make him carry the team.”

“Oh please! I’m the one carrying the team. Imperius is my support angel.” Tevar proclaimed with a grin.

Imperius snorted, shaking his head at the man’s words, “I say you have hit your head harder than you thought, but come. If you have the energy to train, then let us do so!” 

There was a ragged cheer raised and with valor’s blessings, they were back to their training, working twice as hard as before and with a measured need to push themselves to their limits. The mortals did their best to keep up and for a while, they were able to hold their own, training just as hard as before, but mortal bodies were weak and for all the energy they could hold, they eventually succumbed to fatigue and a need for rest. The two were far more worn today and both had barely crawled into bed before they were fast asleep. 

Their rest though meant Imperius was left alone to his thoughts once more and he found no comfort in the halls of valor. Without their company, the void once more began to creep upon him bringing with it the old aches. He did not go to the forge, afraid of the noise of it awakening the two, thus he found himself instead taking wing, rising into the upper spires until he came to the great expanse and the towers that made up the pinnacle of Heaven. 

From here, all of Heaven could be seen and from this distance, the decay was not as obvious. Even as the eternal light dimmed some to a rosy twilight, allowing the pinpricks of stars to be seen it still held a majestic beauty all its own. His gaze fell upon each spire, all of them elegantly decorated and carved, complex in design with open atriums and sweeping balconies. At the center of Heaven though, the older spires remained, although most had been renovated to match the emerging styles of the newer constructs, but Imperius could see where the old blended into the new, the tiny flaws that didn’t quite match and the attempts to hide them behind sculptures or ornate décor. 

Yet one spire had remained untouched, standing out from all the others and sitting apart, just at the edge of the core of Heaven and extending slightly higher than most spires, the crown of it baring the weight of domed, crystal structure like a brilliant egg perched on a spindly nest. The tower itself was rather plain save for the top of it, carved of white alabaster and lacked the balconies of others, more enclosed and contained like a battlement, a testament to its old use as a fortress, not just a home. 

Imperius’s gaze was locked onto it and before he knew it, he was vanishing and reappearing at the base of it, looking upon its closed doors. There were marks of demon claws upon it, damage no doubt during the attack by Hell, but unlike so much of Heaven, it had remained untouched, most likely due to the fact it was out of the way of the main attack and far easier to seal against raiders. If Diablo had know what this place was, he might have aimed more of an attack at it in an effort to deface it. 

After all, besides the Crystal Arch, the last remaining spire of the citadel of virtue, the former roost of Magtherius, was considered a holy place. 

Even now, the archangel of valor felt a quiet reserve as he carefully opened the doors and entered the structure. It had been a long time since he visited this ancient place, and even as the rest of Heaven decayed, the citadel spire remained as it had in all ages pass. Perhaps it was a testament to the ancient methods once used to construct Heaven, or perhaps it was just a product of the simplier design, here, nothing seemed tarnished or forgotten and there was a quiet sort of peace that settled all around. 

The tower was completely hollow, opening to a grand atrium with spiraling stair cases wrapping around the edges, gradually ascending up to the building that rest at the top. The ceiling high above was carved of pure crystal, a dark, molten purple color that seemed to absorb light and refracted it down in beautiful mosaics against the wall. There were no carvings or statues on the wall, all of them left smooth with the barest hint of a geometric design. The only addition that had ever been added was the large statue of Magtherius that stood quietly seated upon a bench, one hand outstretched as if to beckon a troubled soul closer, the other hand holding a winding scroll that came to rest about his feet. Despite the peaceful, almost casual way the statue was set, Imperius felt like he stood before someone who invoked a supreme sense of absolute power and control. 

Magtherius had always been a figure larger than life, even when he still lived. All of Heaven had thrived under his guidance and he had led the armies of Heaven to many a victory and shepherd them threw just as many losses. When he spoke, rooms would go silent and the power of his resonance was as vibrant as that of the Crsytal Arch itself. Imperius had not known him for as long as Aruiel and Malthael, the latter of which practically was welded to the archangel of virtue’s side, but the impression virtue had left upon him was significant none the less. 

After all, it was Magtherius who had given him the title of archangel and command of Heaven for his valor in battle and had spoken of a great destiny to come. He could remember the archangel of virtue putting a hand upon his shoulder and speaking of a glorious future, of battles, and of victories that would come at his hand and how those words had inspired him to serve Heaven above all else and keep it safe from all evil. At one time he had stood above in, the observatory at the top of the spire, looking out in wonder as Magtherius wrote the story of the stars in shapes he saw, weaving together grand tails of star-covered dragons and creatures that fromed in the spaces between good and evil, always working towards a universal balance of those colliding forces that began when Anu casted aside all he saw that made him less than pure. 

Magtherius’s words had inspired Imperius, had fuled him to pursue valor and to cast aside whatever doubt there was in his soul. Magtherius had always told him he had a greater purpose then he could ever imagine. 

How ironic now those words were.

Imperius approached the statue, reaching out to touch the base, fingers tracing over the details of the scroll at the figure’s feat. The laws of heaven had been carved upon the revealed scroll, the ones once penned by Magtherius, although they had changed when his predecessor had taken over. 

Malthael had changed a lot of things in Heaven and after everything that had come to light, he wondered if that had all been part of wisdom’s slow unravel into madness. Imperius hand clenched into a fist against the stone and in a sudden rush of anger, he slammed it against the sculpture, leaving a small indent within the once flawless surface. 

“Is this the Heaven you envisioned!? Was this what you hoped would become of us!? Is this the future you spoke of and had me believe in!?” 

The words rushed out before he could contain them, all the anger and frustration finally spilling over.  
Once more grief began to swallow up Imperius as that empty void rose up and he found himself sinking before the statue, one hand reaching out to rest against the pedestal. 

“What is it you even saw?”

There was no response, only the silent, looming statue of Magtherius that stared down upon him, the hand frozen outstretched. There were no words of comfort, no sudden flash of insight or miracle. There was nothing here but the memories of the past, of far better times, and the golden age of Heaven. Imperius looked up, the anger so hot within him and he wanted to destroy the statue and rip it down. He wanted to smash in the visage of Magtherius and bring the whole tower and observatory above down and let it crumble away. 

But what point would that bring to throw a tantrum about the past? What could would it do other than bringing him a temporary comfort to the constant, horrific dissonance of his soul and fill him with a new tremor of remorse? Destroying the tower wouldn’t do anything. It wouldn’t bring anyone back. Not Auriel. Not Itherael. Not Malthael and certaintly not Magtherius. It would not restore Heaven or allow for life to suddenly fill it. 

And that single fact made him feel so absolutely powerless and weak, just as he had when Diablo had nearly destroyed the crystal arch. 

Useless. Purposeless. 

The creak of the door had Imperius tensing and he turned his head, glaring as Tyrael entered. The archangel of justice seemed surprised though, coming a stop when he spotted Imperius before the sculpture, tensing and glancing away, “I…I didn’t ‘t expect to see you here Imperius or I would not have intruded.” He murmured, “I did not know you to come here often. You always rarely spoke of virtue.” 

“I knew him and respected him as a great leader.” Imperius murmured as he rose to his feet. “Talking with the damnable mortals must have guided my wanderings.” 

Tyrael nodded as he stepped up beside Imperius, looking up at the statue that towered above them, “Since the day I was born, I’ve always been told of what deeds he did and those I was not told, I read about in the archives. So many times I’ve found myself standing here, looking up at him and wondering if I ever would be able to fill the void he left in Heaven.” 

The archangel of justice let out a quiet laugh then, looking away, “I still feel now that I have not even come close and still remain standing in the long shadow he casted.” 

Imperius was silent, offering no response, but his resonance burned with quite resentment that was easily picked up by the other angel. Tyrael’s own wings drew in close to his body, keeping his gaze forward. There was a tremor now to Tyrael’s resonance, a sense of loneliness that was all too familiar now to Imperius, but he ignored it, allowing the burn of hatred to mask any sense of sympathy. 

 

“Everyone in Heaven hated me the moment I was born it felt like. Everyone but you. Out of every angel in Heaven, you were the only one to step forward and welcome us to Heaven and taught us of the laws and of who we could be. You trained us in combat and helped to introduce us to other angels. You… you never just saw Inarius and I as poor imitations of Magtherius.” 

“It would have been how he would have greeted any angel in Heaven. Everything had a purpose, or so he said.” Imperius murmured reluctantly, unable to hold his silence, “You were a very different angel back then as well.”

“Was I? I recall I use to always get under your armor.”

Imperius snorted, “Oh yes. Always up to your tricks, always seeing how far you could push things until you finally managed to have half of Heaven wanting to string you up by your wings. Always causing trouble and following whatever fancy you had,” He paused, wings sagging a bit, "But you were also a good comrade, a good friend...”   
Tyrael had been a free-spirit, but there had been nothing wrong with that. He was troublesome and at times Imperius had felt like strangling him, but they had always found a way to recounil the differences before. They had watched out for each other and it had been he who spoke the loudest in favor for Tyrael to be given the title of archangel. Once, their resonances had sung and twined on the same melody to the point that Imperius had questions if perhaps, what they had was beyond just comrades and more into the realm of sharing a song with him. 

How at one time he could look upon Tyrael and feel a rush of all sort of emotions, all tied together by a giddy excitement and desire to stay close that had sent his wings fluttering in a rush of happy embarrassment. 

He glanced over at Tyrael now, feeling none of those old feelings, no rush of joy. Only pain, grief, and a slowly growing hatred arose. All that Tyrael had done of late was take away what last bit of hope he had clung to like a lifeline and left him cast off into the tides of uncertainty. The archangel of valor let out a heavy, tired sigh as he looked away. “But all of that was a long time ago.”

“Does it mean we can never be like we were before?”

Imperius let out a humorless laugh, “I will never trust you again Tyrael. I will not let you in close enough so that you may wound me again so viciously, more deeply than any of the lords of Hell have done.”

There was a wince from Tyrael, a small jerk of the head and his wings twinning in closer, but he nodded quietly, “I see.”

“All that matters now is if you truly wish to rescue Inarius or would you care to remain here.” 

Tyrael was silent for a moment, hands clenched at his sides, gaze once more on the looming statue before him, “He is my brother and I care for him, even if he is a betrayer of Heaven.”

“Betrayal seems to run in your resonance. Odd considering he who you were formed from would never have done such a thing.” 

The archangel of justice tensed, an old nerve touched upon “I did not agree to leave you sealed out of spite, Imperius. I do not hate you as much as you hated me.”

“How much I hate you now.” Imperius corrected, “You have taken everything from me and you can argue that I brought it upon myself, that I am rash and uncontrollable… but I still loved Heaven. I cared for Auriel and Itherael. I grieved for Malthael.” He paused, turning away, “I even grieved for your fall and perhaps my anger was over never understanding why, of all things, that was your choice.”

“I told you why.”

Imperius snorted, “For the mortals.”

“For the mortals and Heaven.” 

“Believe what you will. Your empty halls will tell the story of how other angels felt at your fall. How empty Heaven stands now will be the evidence of how much it has helped us.” 

Tyrael tensed, wings curling tight, “I did what I had to.”

“And I wish that I would have never spoken to you the moment you were born and refrained from such a kindness.” 

That caused Tyrael to tense up more, his wings practically invisible with how close to his body they were pulled. There was treble to his resonance that spoke of great hurt and pain. The archangel of justice barely found his voice again, attempting to remain steady even as something was tearing inside, “You really do hate me now.”

“I do. You have not given me a reason not to in a long time. Even in the past when you vexed me... you at least were good at pretending you wanted to make things right.” 

“I wasn’t pretending.”

Imperius gave a tired laugh, “You’ve gotten quite good at lying, Tyrael.” 

Tyrael was silent, stiff and there was a sadness coming off him, sincere as ever, but it did little to abate the simmer of cold hate that had settled in the void within Imperius’s own resonance, a grinding, sour note of dissonance that was only continuing to grow. If anything, seeing Tyrael so hurt brought a wicked sense of comfort.

“Once we have Inarius here, you won’t be alone at least. Maybe he will wish to speak cordially to you. Or perhaps not. He might not remember you fondly either.” 

“Or perhaps I should just return to being a mortal and live out the short life as one of them and this time be left to my death.”

Imperius shrugged, “Then do so. I could care less what you do Tyrael. The mortals are not more accepting, that I’ve learned.” He paused, turning and starting to walk away, “Just some of them find the best in us even when we are at our worst.” 

“This endeavor into Hell will kill them. You should remain here and work to try to restore Heaven before trying such a feat.”

Imperius paused, head tilted, “We will succeed, one way or another. That I swear.”

“Can you now predict fate?”

That earned a humorless chuckle from Imperius, “Fate is no longer written. All we have are choices and I choose to not let them die.” He paused, clenching his fists, “And I choose not to die.” 

“That is not always enough.” 

“Then don’t come. Coward here behind your walls, Tyrael. If your weakness binds you to inaction, then we shall not stand as equals.” He turned away, starting to walk away now, “Your time as a mortal has taught you well how to be a coward.”

Tyrael flinched again as the words he once said to Imperius were thrown back in his face and the archangel of valor could only feel a mean-spirited satisfaction at that. He glanced up at Magtherius’s statue one last time. Something in that stone gaze caused him slight pause, as if it somehow looked upon him with disapproval and a shiver of guilt crept in, only to be crushed by a wave of new hatred. Quickly he looked away before focusing himself back to the halls of valor, vanishing in an instant. He pushed away the maelstrom of emotions that tore at his resonance, the dissonance that threatened to devolve into something more insidious. For now, he focused his thoughts ahead to the eventual storming of Hell and the rescue of Inarius. Two days’ time and there was much to plan for, old maps to pour over, and some semblance of a strategy that had to be drafted. 

If he was going to truly pull a miracle out of the jaws of death, then the only thing he had to rely on was the hope he could prepare just enough to overcome whatever odds they may face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was not written previously in all actually. It was written from scratch more or less as there was like...no time done training or talking/sorting it out officially. It felt far too rushed off to the next part, probably because I wanted to get to the action XD; 
> 
> BUT I am very happy with how it turned out and I feel it added more...I don't know...past and depth to characters. More that they were struggling with than what was presented in canon lore c: 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy!
> 
> Special thank yous to Drakyr, Darkhelmetj, oyee, and miss_gems for the awesome reviews <3   
> Enjoy other Diablo fic by Drakyr here https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drakyr/pseuds/Drakyr  
> Darkhelmetj here https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkhelmetj/pseuds/darkhelmetj  
> and miss_Gems here https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Gems/pseuds/Miss_Gems
> 
> FEED THE DIABLO FANFIC CRAVES!


	11. Siege and Rescue

“This is perhaps the most badass day of my life.”

Imperius barely held back his amusement at Tevar’s words as he watched the man admire himself in front of a mirror, fawning over the armor he now wore. Really the archangel of valor had been rather eager to usher the two nephelem out of bed and to the forge for them to slip into the armor he had forged for them and was more than pleased that everything had fit so far.

Tevar was turning around and around, admiring himself from every angle, sliding hands over the details of the breastplate and the symbol of Valor, the blazing sun, emblazoned upon it. He paused to glance at Imperius, striking a pose that Imperius assumed was supposed to be an enticing one. 

“How do I look?”

“It fits you well.” The archangel replied crossing his arms.

“Aw, you are only saying that because you made it.” Tevar responded with a teasing grin. “But seriously, this is awesome. I feel like ye old adventurer of old in all this glam.”

Aladria chuckled from where she stood, tracing her fingers over the golden protective case that had been forged to house the book of Tyrael to allow her to use it better as a channeling medium and enhance her spells more so, “It is a big shift, but then, we are probably going somewhere that we can’t show up in jeans and a t-shirt.” 

“You never know, could be casual Friday in Hell.” Tevar paused snickering some, “Can you imagine Tyrael or Imperius wearing a pair of jeans?”

The archangel of valor merely shook his head as both mortals started to chuckle, deciding he didn’t want to know what these “jeans” were and why it would be funny at all for him to wear them. Instead, he opted for just leaning on Solarion, eyeing them both to make sure the armor was correctly buckled on. Both at least were in good spirits despite the fact that today they would be taking the plunge into the maws of Hell and most likely fighting for their life every step of the way. 

“Speaking of Tyrael though, I actually haven’t seen him since the first day of training.” Aladria worried her bottom lip some, glancing up at Imperius, “Is he coming with us?”

“That is up to him. He is aware of when we are leaving. He might just stay here and sulk.” 

“Dang Imperius. The ice on that statement gives me the shivers even.” Tevar murmured, “I thought he said he was?”

“He claims a lot of things.” Imperius said tersely, “And with both of you now armed and armored, we are more than ready to start our push.” 

Tevar nodded and Aladria tensed, swallowing hard. Her grip on the book she carried tightened, “Should we not wait a few moments for Tyrael?”

“If he isn’t here, then he won’t be coming with –“

“There is no need to wait. I’m here.” 

Imperius paused in his tirade, to turn as Tyrael touched down, El’druin in hand. He stared at the other archangel, wings giving an aggressive flare outwards of annoyance before he looked away with a growl. For his part, Tyrael ignored the display and dipped his head apologetically to the group. 

“I’m sorry for the delay. The past few days, I’ve been… taking some time to get my thoughts sorted.” He said as he approached, “There is no need to delay our venture further though.” 

“Hey, we all probably had to do a little soul searching before going into Hell. Asking such questions of why am I doing this? How did I get here? Holy fuck, I’m about to go to Hell and see if the company is really better.” Tevar chuckled, smiling, “But glad to have you here.”

“Inarius is my brother, for better or worse, and a part of who I am. If I leave him to suffer, then I really am not worthy of my wings, let alone my title,” He looked over to Imperius, his posture straightening, “And I will not remain behind, even if I still think we should wait before making this attempt.”

“Your position is noted, considered, and dismissed,” Imperius growled, turning away moving to offer a hand to both mortals, “Let us go then.” 

Aladria nodded, her expression of steely determination as she confidently took Imperius’s hand, “Ready as I’ll ever be, even if I end up getting eaten.”

“Think of it more like a field trip Ala!” Tevar said as he took Imperius’s other hand, “A really fucked up field trip where the tour guides might devour you and you got to fight off the exhibits.” 

“Sounds like just another Saturday at the museum to be honest.” 

The archangel shook his head, not understanding what they were even referring to and making a mental note to ask them later. Just as he was about to take to wing though, Tevar abruptly let go, cursing as he fumbled for something in his armor, “Shit! Before we go, one last thing!”

“What now?” 

Imperius’s impatient snarl went unanswered as he took out a small device and waved everyone closer, “Group up! Group up!” 

Tyrael curiously came over, trying to get a look at the small picture that was one the screen of the device while Aladria only shook her, although she was smiling as she edged in closer, “A selfie? Really?”

“We are going into the maws of Hell. I think we need a picture to commemorate team, “Fuck all ya demons.” 

The man smiled as he held the device away from them in one hand and raised his hand to flash up to fingers like a V, “Everyone say cheese!”

“Cheese?” Imperius echoed vaguely raising a hand to mimic the gesture, “Is this some…sort of new mortal ritual?”

“Does the V stand for Valor?” Tyrael asked, also throwing up the two fingers.

Aladria chuckled, following suit and smiling brightly, “Valor, victory, and peace.”

Tevar only kept still, moving the device around a bit before pushing a button causing it to chirp. He pulled the phone close, touching a few things on the screen before smiling, looking about at his companions, “Now aren’t we a frightful trio?”

Imperius tilted his head, looking at the picture of the device, “Does your device capture time then or does it create that picture through other means?”

“How about once we get back, I’ll explain it to you?” Tevar suggested, tucking his phone away with a chuckle. “I want to save the battery a bit. You know…take a few pictures of Hell? Document our road trip?”

“That seems like a waste of time,” Imperius drawled as he offered his hands once more to the two.

“I suppose it is something to lighten the mood. I recall that Lyndon used to knit between battles, just a bit, to help take the edge off the danger the nephelem was thrusting him into,” Tyrael said starting to lift off the ground, “He made quite a few fine scarves…if only a little crooked.” 

Imperius did not acknowledge what Tyrael said, wings flaring up as the mortals took his hand and he began to lift off, carrying both of them easily, “I don’t think there will be any time for…pictures or hobbies.” 

“Not with that attitude Imperius!” Tevar shot back.

 

The archangel let out a sigh and shook his head before focusing his attention away from Heaven, reaching out to Sanctuary and soon was blinking out of the balmy warmth of Heaven and back into the unforgiving chill of northern air. Tevar gritted his teeth at the sudden cold, shivering and moving to pull up the scarf over his mouth and nose. 

“I’m already regretting this choice.”

“We haven’t even seen a demon.” Imperius drawled.

“Yes, but I bloody hate the cold…” 

Tyrael chuckled some as he flitted closer, “Luckily it will only get hotter from this point forward.”   
The archangel of justice spread his wings wide before darting forward and seemed to fly in a more playful manner. It was almost as if he was relishing the feeling of flight again. Imperius flew straight, steady and true, avoiding cloud banks and flying rather low. Tyrael though was ducking and diving, coasting just over clouds or going right through them, the moisture forming small patterns of frost over his armor although he didn’t seem to mind. It was like watching some young angel fly for the first time and not a battle-worn archangel about to head to the maws of Hell. Imperius wonder vaguely though if it was just because it had been so long since Tyrael had flown that he acted like such a fledgling right now. As they approached their destination though, the archangel of justice did begin to tone down his antics, flying closer to Imperius to the point they were nearly wing tip to wing tip, although valor made a point of maintaining some distance between them, his resonance murmuring in small disgust. It was not long before they were beginning the final descent to the still smoldering crater below.

 

Mount Arreat had only been worn away more in the passing years, although the landscape still smoldered and bore the obvious taint of evil upon the forever scorched earth. Already Imperius could feel the tendrils of Hell seeping up from below and causing his resonance to flare subconsciously in preparation of entering the tainted lands. Fire still oozed from the broken heart of the mountain, and there didn’t seem to be any mortal activity, only shells of destroyed vehicles, left to rot at the edge of the crater and a shoddy fence erected in parts no doubt to keep would be adventurers out. However, all the indications of mortals seemed long since abandoned.

Imperius let his feet touch the scorched earth, letting go of the two humans who had held onto him during the flight, gaze already fixed ahead at the glowing scab within the earth. He could feel fear starting to creep into his two mortal companions, although he was quick to summon Solarion to hand, tapping the butt of it against the ground. His burning resonance spread out to the two, providing a bubble of valor to help combat the growing concerns.

Fear would be their undoing if it was allowed to run rampant and cloud the mind. 

“Shit…even the army didn’t get far.” Tevar murmured, gaze falling over a larger broken metal behemoths of a vehicle, “I’m guessing we aren’t going to be able to drive into Hell eh?”

“Most land transporation is useless in Hell. Most animals will turn and flee and the landscape is too rock and unpredictable for wheeled carts,” Tyrael said as he stepped forward. He held El’druin then, letting the blade’s tip point forward pass the silent graveyard of half melted vehicles and ripped apart metal, “The entryway to Hell is ahead, within the bowls of the crater. Once we pass that threshold, there will be no rest, no reprieve until we pass once more through that gate.”

“So how are we getting out once we find Inarius?” Tevar asked as he slid the crossbow from his back, already drawing bolts to it. 

“We will fly back to the rift. The way out is not as difficult as the way in,” Imperius rumbled as he began to walk ahead. “Above the burning skies of Hell, angels will always have the upper over demons. Even those winged abominations that dare to take to our sky are nothing but nuisances. They are only really a threat to mortal beings upon the battlefield.””

“Cocky are we?” Tevar chuckled, following after Imperius. 

Imperius snorted, “I am not cocky. I simply know I will triumph and am aware of most of the enemies we will face. Plans have been made.” 

“Some would say that sort of arrogance is the very definition of being cocky, Imperius,” Aldaria teased lightly. Her voice wavered some though. Even with the infusion of courage from Imperius, the sight of skeletons upon the earth, picked clean and exposed, caused her to hesitate a step before quickly moving to stand closer to Imperius.

No one needed to say that the skeletons were a lot fresher than they appeared, laying strew about upon the surface as they were. Nor did anyone speak up about the other, half buried bones that poked out of the dark, ash coated surface. There was a reason mortals avoided this accursed land and it idly made Imperius wonder what lies were told to cover up the truth of this place from the rest of the world.

Tevar tensed as they passed by vehicles, pausing to look over how the side of one of the military grade armored cars was torn off like a strip of paper, shivering some, “Please tell me our armor doesn’t get rippled that easily.”

“It does not. The armor you wear is divine steel. The demon would have to be one of incredible power to really rip it. These mortal metals are simply weak.” Imperius murmured. “We will not meet their fate.”

“I hope not.” Aladria said quietly as she skirted another pile of bones, swallowing as her eyes lingered over how the rib cage seemed to have been torn outwards.

The smell of Sulphur was becoming stronger as they drew closer to the scar in the earth that lead to Hell. The air was becoming hotter as well and with it, both angels could feel more clearly the creeping taint of Hell oozing up over the ash covered earth. Tevar grimacing and refraining from pulling down his scarf despite the temperature starting to increase as he glanced to his companions, “Place already smells like it is going to be a lot of fun…”

“Breathing through your mouth will not make it any better,”Tyrael warned, “Eventually you’ll get use to the stench of it all.”

“Nice to know…”

The four were silent as they finally came to the lip of the crater and the pathway down into the heart of it. The entirety of it was mostly caved in with only a few narrow tunnels winding through the rocks. Damage had been suffered in the past, no doubt caused during the ancient nephlem’s assault upon the Sin Hearts and Azmodan, but the inhuman shrieks that rose from the depths made it clear that the fiends who called the entryway their home had sensed the intruders moving above and were on the move, no doubt ready for a feast. The ground around the tunnels seemed to move as the small demons scrambled up over rocks towards them. Aladria tensed, swallowing hard and clutched the book of Tyrael close to her while Tevar took aim.

Imperius gripped Solarion a little tighter, although he was far from worried. Fallen Ones were a relatively weak demon. Even the most unskilled of nephelem could slaughter their ranks as long as none of the lunatics were present. Tyrael stepped up beside Imperius, El’druin in hand as he gazed down at the first wave of their fight. 

“It will be an honor to fight by your side again, Imperius, even if you would rather that not be the case.”

The archangel of valor’s wings flared in response, “Just don’t get in my way.” 

Tevar cocked his weapon, keeping close to Aldaria’s side, chuckling some himself, although the nerves were apparent as the screaming horde drew closer, “How about we make this a little contest? Whoever kills the most gets bragging rights as the one who carried the team.”

“A worthy challenge. I’ll accept your terms,” Tyrael said with a small chuckle of his own. “What of you Imperius? Think you can outpace the rest of us?”

“I will do so easily, of that I can assure you.”Imperius drawled before he dove forward towards the swarm, a blazing comet of death. 

The small fiends did not even manage final cries before they were reduced to ash and bloody parts under the first attack of the archangel of valor. Tyrael following in Imperius’s wake, skillfully weaving in and out of the fray sending more demons flying in pieces across the rocky terrain. Aladria and Tevar held the rear, laying down a strong layer of cover fire and spells to coral the stragglers at the fringes into the pocket of death created by the two archangels. 

A fallen overload rose at the back of the pack from within the tunnel, a snarling roar about to form on the lips of the demon before it was falling back, gurgling as the entire top of its head was sliced clean off by a single swipe of El’druin. The defeat of their champion sent the other Fallen Ones into a panic, fear taking them as they scrambled back into their earthen barriers and deeper still to escape back into Hell properly. 

Imperius did not waste time, glancing to his companions, “We need to move quickly. Before the large fiends realize that there is an attempt to breach Hell’s bulwark!”

He moved forward swiftly after the demons, soon dropping down into the more cramped tunnels that were all that remained of the connection to Hell the crater held. The air here was close and rank with a putrid stench of filth and decaying flesh. Aladria gagged behind Imperius, eyes widened as far fresher bodies turned up in corners of the tunnel system, some of them dismembered and hung up crudely in small camps that the Fallen Ones had been using. The grisly sight was only added to by the crude leather tents stretched out over rocks formed of human flesh and adorned with bones. 

Tevar kept his eyes ahead, paling some, but stubbornly following after Imperius as the archangel led them further toward the increasing heat. Aladria was the one who gave pause, swallowing hard as she took in the nightmarish sights. She nearly jumped when Tyrael rested a hand against her shoulder in an effort to comfort her.

“Be not afraid, you are in good hands, young nephelem,” Tyrael assured her, “Imperius will not let harm come to you.”

“I know that.” She chuckled softly, “I find it ironic the one who nearly strangled me is now so adamant a protector.”

“He’s changed a lot since I’ve known him,” Tyrael paused, his tone a touch sad, “I only wish it had happened earlier.” 

“Some people just need the right conditions maybe to work things out.” She responded, smiling as she touched Tyrael’s arm lightly before moving ahead to keep closer to Tevar’s side. 

“Maybe…”

Imperius didn’t a spare a glance back to the two, using his spear to push aside the macabre trophies the demons had put up to either display their wickedness or to warn off would be attackers. Truly it was a sad display. At least the greater fiends took the effort to hang up the parts of angels they managed to pull apart from battle and sckwer them upon great hooks, showing at least some skill. Most of what was shown here.

He only, paused when he felt his resonance surge in reaction to the approach of another horde of demons. No doubt the few that managed to crawl away had gotten reinforcements to try to mob the quartet of invaders. It was not long before they were massing in the cavern before them, howling and waving weapons in the air as they charged forward. 

Up close, the Fallen Ones looked even more hellish. They were squat, piggish creatures with elongated features and wide, mad eyes. What passed for hair, stringy and black, was pulled away in crude braids and ponytails, while others simply let it hang long, shaggy and shorn, about their demonic features. 

Still, there was barely a spark of intelligence in their eyes and Imperius could have scoffed at the foes approaching. After all, fallen ones made up the lowest ranks of Hell. They were only a threat to the unwary who had no idea they had crossed the threshold into Hell’s gullet. At the very least, it was a decent warm-up for himself and a challenge enough for the two mortals to help get their feet wet to the combat to come.

Imperius surged forward into the mob, spear leading and cutting a path of destruction through their ranks with ease. Blood and gore splattered against the walls of the caverns even as he turned, spear swinging out to dig into another wave of the creatures. The whistle of crossbow bolts sang in the air as Tevar began to offer his support, blasting fallen one’s back into the incoming swarm while Tyrael surged past him, twisting in midair to come down, El’druin singing as it bit into the flesh of demons once more. 

Aladaria gathered what energy she could, quelling her own fears before unleashing a spell, colliding into a group of the fallen ones that had managed to escape the bloodbath of Imperius’s spear. Yet even as more were cut down, some of the bodies began to twitch, engulfed in a strange light and soon rising despite the wounds they suffered. 

Tyrael cursed as he cut down one of the newly falling, wings flared as he looked towards the mob ahead, “They have a shaman with them!”

“A shaman?” Tevar snapped. “What does that mean?”

Imperius did not answer the question, snarling before he let out a cry of rage, wings flaring out, twisting in the air like fiery whips before he surged forward, a bolt of light through the horde of flesh. Before him, there were no enemies. His focus was on the crude flag held in the hand of a taller, more lanky fallen that bore some semblance of intelligence within its twisted features. The shaman managed out one scream of rage, fire dancing at its fingertips before it was brought low, severed in two down the middle by the brutality of Imperius’s attack. 

The death of the shaman seemed to throw the fallen into chaos once more, the weaker one shrilly crying out and retreating further into the caves, the stragglers staggering and falling as they were cut down by magic and the thud of crossbolts into their back. Tyrael hummed softly as he watched the retreat, moving to stand beside Imperius, “They are probably now more than aware we are here now.”

“Let them. They know not what we seek. All they can do is try to impede us on whatever path we take.” Imperius thrust his spear forward with a snarl, “We continue forward.”

There were few demons left in the caves, most having retreated as news spread of not one, but two archangels pressing an attack into Hell. No doubt it was an unexpected move when Heaven had been empty for who knows how long. The heat was only increasing and now, reaching the point where normally, mortal blood might be boiling in their veins. However, the armor of the two mortals shimmered, protections flaring up to help keep them cool as they approached the bowels of Hell and keeping them safe from the temperatures of the environment. 

The twisting passages soon came to their end and Imperius paused at the entrance, not liking the lack of enemies. So far it had bene almost laughably easy and he wondered if Hell was as gutted as Heaven with only the weaker ones alive. It was either that, or whatever cunning beast now ruled was allowing them in, drawing them into some sort of trap. 

“I’ll go first to clear the way. Do not follow until I give you the signal.” IMperius growled, glancing back at his companions. 

“You do you, Imperius. Go murder all those demons and make it nice and safe.” Tevar murmured, eying the exit of the cave and the sickly light that poured in. “Just make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

“Please.” Imperius drawled, “So far we have been given mere fodder to run through.”

The Archangel paused for a moment at the entrance, taking his spear in hand before charging out and quickly turning about. As soon as he left the cover of the tunnel, a larger demon, some cross between a centipede and some sort of rabid bear came forward off of the rocks only to have Solarion pierce through its maw. It twisted upon the weapons as blood poured from the wound, only be tossed away down the crumpling slope, hitting the bottom with a wet splat. For a moment he stood still, feeling out the immediate area and felt the presence of no evil, only the taint of the earth they now stood upon.

“All clear.” Imperius growled, glancing back into the maw of the cave. 

Tyrael stepped out next, his grip on El’druin tight before he gave a nod to the mortals who followed close behind. 

“Welcome to Hell…”

It has been a long time since Imperius had been this far into Hell and even then, it had only been a few times that the armies of Heaven had been able to press this far into the realm of demons. No Nephelem had ever ventured this far away, having only moved about the lands of Pandemonium in the past or the outskirts of Hell and the flaming citadels there. Although the core of Hell had pockets of fire spurting up from cracks in the earth, most of the landscape was swathed in an unnatural darkness, the sky above a continuous broiling fume that blotted out any semblance of a sky. Through the thick clouds, huge tendrils dangled downwards to wrap about and burrow into landscape and upon them, crude structures could be seen. From their vantage point though, it was clear that the landscape of Hell was not uniformed as there was tell-tale signs of ice far to the left that crept over a series of mountains, while to the right, other mountains stood that resembled broken teeth and covered in a clawing, unnaturally moving mass that awas a mockery of the forests of Sanctuary. 

All of it though resembled an endlessly stretching nightmare conjured up by the most twisted of minds.

“…yeah this is my nightmares for the rest of my life.” Tevar murmured, “Not a single depiction of Hell in art or cinema even gets close to this…”

“…I think I would prefer those depictions.” Aladria said softly, trembling. 

Imperius’s grip on his spear increased and he spared more energy to reach out and continue to quell the fear within the two as he looked about the landscape, his gaze dropping briefly below where new swarms of fallen, now backed up by abominable beasts, surged below. Lanky, almost skeletal figures that belched out smaller worm-like beasts had begun to scurry over the rocks followed by grotesque wheezing beasts, dripping with ichor from long squirming protrusions like the trunk of an elephant. 

Tevar looked at the incoming enemies, tensing, “So where are we going from here?” He managed to ask, pushing through whatever fear gripped at his chest upon taking in the hellscape.

“We head to the center of hatred itself, the sanctum of Mephisto,” Imperius growled, point towards the right and the twisted forests, “His home lies beyond the wretched forest-lands of Belia.” 

“That is not a forest. Trees don’t fucking move and look like they are made of flesh,” Tevar growled. 

“An approximation of one, I suppose,” Tyrael offered, stepping up on a rock for a better vantage point of the new incoming horde. “But now, we have no time to idly debate this.”

Imperius let out a growl, not waiting another moment before he was vanishing, appearing above the horde and dropping down rapidly, slamming Solarion into the ground. The hit sent a shockwave of death outwards to engulf the demons, eliminating almost half their numbers with the single powerful hit. Tevar and Aladria gawked in awe, the former managing a laugh through his fear as he took aim at one of the demons that managed to scurry just out of the reach of the shockwave, “I think right now Imperius’s is kicking all our asses in this contest.”

“Well, we can’t have him running the score up too high,” Tyrael thundered before he dove forward, crashing into the ranks of demon and cutting a path of his own. The archangel of justice fought with a fluidity and tact to his movements unlike the force of nature that was valor. Every hit was precise and aimed for the weakest point of armor, leaving nothing but corpses in his path.

Tevar slid down the embankment, raising his crossbow to lay down a rain of death. His arrows twisted in the air, taking the form of howling wolves as they slammed into demons, ripping and tearing as they went. Behind him, Aladria shouted out, raising a hand to send a showering spark of light upon the enemy, the tiny balls of light seeking out the eyes of demons and cutting them to ribbons, effectively blinding them. The beasts howled, clawing at their faces before they were torn to shreds by Solarion’s deadly arc of death.

The demons did not retreat this time as they were on their home turf and their numbers only seemed to swell. Each inch of ground was gained in mountains of body and blood that was already forming into puddles. Each step was met with combat but Imperius did not falter. He was thriving in the engagement, unleashing the pent emotions of the past few days in a show of rage, slaughtering demons by the hundreds. 

By the time they were able to reach the edge of the demonic forest, Aladria and Tevar were showing some signs of fatigue, both mentally and physically. Tevar’s expression was haunted and his hands trembled as he clutched his weapon while Aladria stumbled after the two angels, sometimes grabbing onto a wing tendril of one them just to keep herself steady. Imperius nor Tyrael though seemed to mind and at times, they allowed their wings to curl about one or both of the mortals, providing a strange sort of energy and comfort despite the landscape they traversed. 

However, there was something that was bothering Imperius so far about this invasion of Hell: The lack of any real push back against them. So far, the fiends they face were rather weak and as they traversed Belial’s land, pausing at times to dispatch groups of lingering serpent-like demons that darted quickly out of the shadows of the twitching, squirming tree-like constructions of flesh, there were few serious threats. 

Tyrael was tense as well, the lack of a true challenging not sitting well with him either. 

“We might be walking into a trap.”

Imperius paused where he stood to glance back at the other archangel before looking ahead, “That was always a possibility. Just stay on guard.”

“I don’t think it is wise to go head first into the trap.” Tyrael murmured, “There are two few demons being thrown against us. Just enough to make it look like they are trying.”

“That sounds like the opposite of a problem.” Tevar grumbled, shivering as he skirted away from one of the trees as it shuddered and shook more, bulging about as if something within was trying to get out, “I’m fine with just a few snake bastards and these nightmare trees.”

“…if it comforts you, Tevar, they aren’t really trees,” Imperius paused to bring his spear against one of them, cutting a slit along the side, “They are the souls of trapped mortals, fallen for Belial’s lies, and now suffer eternally here, their pain once feeding him.”

The side of the tree gave way in a burst of flesh, organs spilling out. The whole thing shuddered before going still, slumping over and the strange branch-like arms sagging aside. Tevar paled, stepping back and turning towards Imperius with a horrified look, “No, that does not fucking comfort me! I’m mortal! This is just saying that if this fucking Belial fuck comes up, he is gonna make me into a fucking tree!”

“It seems fortunate then that Belial is a coward who would never face any angel direction in battle.” Tyrael began, glancing about, “More fortunate still that it does not seem like he has been in his lands for a very long time.” 

“How can you tell?” Aladria asked quietly, now giving a wide birth to the twitching trees.

“The forest is rather thin.” Tyrael explained, “Usually the trees are so thick you are a cutting a path through them.”

Both mortals paled at the thought and Imperius nearly huffed, stalking forward more, cresting another hill, “Not to mention he would be taunting us the whole time, telling all sorts of lies…not even very good lies. Really only idiotic mortals would believe anything he would say.”

Tevar scurried up to stand at the top of the hill next to Imperius, letting out a groan as he saw another horde of the snake demons starting to come towards then, “More of them. Always more of them. Please tell me we are at least close to this Mephisto’s lair?”

Tyrael shook his head as he came to stand beside them, hefting his blade up once more, “Once we clear the forest, we enter into the fire plains, then we will cross into the crater that houses the lands of hatred.”

“Fire plains, that doesn’t sound so bad.” Tevar said with a hopeful lift to his voice, “Just sounds hot.”

“And is filled with hundreds of giant fire worms that can slowly digest mortals within their bellies by slowly absorbing them into their skin,” Imperius commented before he dove forward into the next surge of demonic foes. 

Tevar stood there for a moment, gawking at Imperius before letting out a furious snarl and starting to lay down another round of attacks into the hissing snake demons, “Why do you keep telling me this stuff!? You are just making everything worse!”

Tyrael only managed a short laugh before he too was diving into the fray and Aladria shook her head with a sigh, “I’m not going to be able to sleep for months…” she murmured before summoning up her own power to add to the fray.

Imperius ignored the man’s outburst, engulfed in the fight, surging forward to look for more demons to kill and to keep the high of battle going. Yet no matter how many he killed, a part of him still felt achingly empty and a vicious voice murmured of how pointless all of this really was. The archangel of valor though pushed those thoughts down, focusing on each blow, every charge made, and the amount of blood being spilled upon Hell’s fetid soil with each slain foe.

He only came to a pause when at last, they stood at the edge of the fire plains. 

Aladria bit her lip as she looked over the rather bland landscape that seemed and endless stretch of black, cracked earth with no sign of bones or life on its surface. The only thing that broke up the monotony of it was the thin cracks in the earth that let out hisses of heat and fire occasionally. It was nothing like the horrific landscapes crossed so far but something about it inspired a sense of fear. 

Tevar eyed the whole thing, taking a tentative step forward which was halted by Imperius pulling the man back, “So…where are the horror worms?”

“Below the earth. As soon as you step a foot upon the edge of this place, they will start to surge, looking to feed,” Imperius murmured, “This accursed wasteland was used by Mephisto as a place to punish those that failed him. The hateful worms below do not attack out of hunger as much as they do out of any little disturbance to their rest.”

“So they are just a punch of cranky, lazy bastards upset someone made too much noise. Gotcha.” Tevar paused, shifting from foot to foot, “So, uh… how are we getting over?” 

Tyrael chuckled moving to sheath El’druin, “We fly. To walk would be suicide, but they can only jump so high.”

Imperius already stepped towards Aladria, offering his hand, “Once we cross here, we will be in Mephsito’s lands.” 

She nodded as she took it, although Tevar shook his head, huffing a bit as he moved over to grab onto Tyrael’s arm, “Oh no. I’m not flying with you Imperius! You’ll be telling me all about all the awful fucks in hatred and trying to scare me!”

Imperius chuckled, “Oh? But I thought you would love to hear about the demons of hatred that look like they are skinned alive, their heads covered in eyes and growing teeth from between their quivering ribs?”

“No! I don’t want to hear that!” Tevar hissed back.

Tyrael merely shook his head, wrapping an arm about the man as he started to rise into the air, “Very well then mortal. Just hold on.”

Imperius snorted as he took off into the air, cradling Aladria close, “You do not know what you have asked for, Tevar. Tyrael can’t fly steady to save his existence…”

“What!?” 

The final shouted protest was the last Imperius heard as he darted forward over the plains intent on crossing them quickly. Aladria clung to him, eyes wide as she looked below. Already the earth was cracking and huge demonic looking worm-like creatures pressed forward, letting out wails that were far too human. As Imperus had described, the hide of each one was covered in squirming human limbs and twisted faces all screaming as one as the thing attempt to bite at Imperius. The archangel only moved up higher when one got too close, although he made sure not to rise as high as the broiling black clouds above as the sulphuric gas would more or less suffocate a mortal in mere seconds. 

Behind the two, Tyrael followed and as Imperius said, he was not as steady a flyer, ducking and weaving as he moved about. Tevar was clinging onto the archangel of justice, hollering with each near miss of one of the leaping worms from below and the only response he got were more than a few cheerful quips from Tyrael. Soon though they were reaching the other side, touching down upon black, lifeless, broken crags that marked the edge of a huge crater. The air here was cooler, but there was a more putrid stench that radiated up from the crater as well as a feeling of terrible malice as if the land itself hated to be stepped upon

As soon as Tevar’s feet touched the ground, he staggered and moved over to prop himself against a rock, “That was- that was fucking-!” 

Whatever he was about to say was drown out as he began throw up. 

Aladria cringed, and Imperius took a step back with a sound of disgust. Tyrael, for his part approached the man and rubbed his back soothingly, “I apologize. I should have remembered that mortal stomachs are ah, not fond of too many sudden moments. That and eating too much.”

“It’s fine.” Tevar managed weakly. “I’m alive. I’ll be fine… ugh….I won’t be able to eat eggs for a while though.”

Aladria shook her head and approached him quietly, offering him one of her water bottles which he took gratefully. Imperius turned away from the two, gaze fixed on the landscape now before them. The crater was huge and descended down sharply into a basin that seemed made up of broken earth, bridges, and deep ravines that fell away into a bottomless abyss. Caves dotted the land and a thick black fog seemed to have settled in the pit of it all. At the center though, a small mountain of carved rock rose, a tower adorning the crest. It was a horrific piece of architecture that was skeletal in its appearance with various large windows covered in blood showing they were used more as chutes to carry in sacrifices than as an aesthetic piece.

The citadel of hatred, the lair of Mephisto was as wretched as the stories had said.

“I did not thing I would ever gaze upon this wretched place.”

“It is a miracle we still stand at all.” Tyrael murmured, “The evil and hatred in this land…feels more recent.”

 

Imperius did not response, but his resonance swelled in silent agreement to Tyrael’s words. The feeling of hatred and of shrieking, vengeful souls was rattling his resonance and the power of it meant that some demon had been using this realm recently. Tyrael’s wings were drawing closer to his back, a sign of discomfort as he looked about, as if expecting a sudden attack at any moment. Yet all that could be seen were the few swarms of lingering hate demons starting to rise from their dens and the hundreds of humanoid figures that seemed stitched together onto the landscape, wailing in rage. 

Tevar shuddered, shaking his head, “So…we heading towards that spooky looking tower at the center?”

“Indeed. That is the citadel of hatred, Mephisto’s seat of power, once the seat of power for all of Hell when he was the de facto leader of all the realms of this unholy land,” Imperius murmured. “His citadel sits upon the crater that Tiambath’s body fell upon, so it is said.”

Tyrael gave a nod, El’druin once more drawn, “From the feel of it, he might have been through his lands recently.”

That had Aladria paling, looking sharply at Tyrael, “That…that doesn’t sound good.”

“If it was Mephisto, we would feel it more, Tyrael,” Imperius growled, starting to make his way forward, “The lord of hatred cannot mask himself so easily, nor has he ever tried to contain his influence. No doubt he left fiends of some power behind to look after Inarius. It is that and nothing more.”

“Imperius-“

“We head onwards. To the entrance of the citadel.” He snarled, looking over to Tyrael, “We cannot stop now.”

The archangel of justice’s wings flared more and there was protest burning in his resonance, but quickly, he abated, letting out a frustrated sigh, “Fine then. We continue forward.” 

 

Tevar groaned as he leaned against a rock, sliding down along it to a sitting position. His expression was haggard as he looked up to the archangel with a blank look, “Fine. Fine. But after we do this and get there and get this Inarius guy, can you just speed fly me home to Heaven so I can sleep for the next twenty years?”

“Rest will come soon, young nephelem. We are at the final leg of the journey, although, it will be the most difficult. I have little doubt Mephisto left something to guard Inarius’s prison,” Tyrael murmured, looking outwards towards the tower where Mephisto had made his home. The lofty peak was hidden by the broiling fumes of the hellscape around them, but the shrieks and wails of some new hellspawn echoed clear across the land. 

“Lose not faith yet that we will see the end,” Imperius thundered. “We will destroy whatever evil may come.”

Aladaria managed a tired smile as she leaned on her staff some, “Then lead the way. If I take a seat now, I can assure you that I will not rise back up to my feet.” 

Tyrael chuckled some, offering her a hand as they began to climb down, “You have the fortitude of your ancestors. It will keep you going, I have no doubt.”

“I have an idea, why not just keep flying up? Why are we walking?” Tevar drawled as he rose back to his feet. “We just flew over those worm bastards, how about just fly up to the front door?”

 

“Mephisto’s lair is protected from aerial approach by a powerful barrier. If we draw close on wing, it may trigger those defenses and keep us barred entirely,” Imperius explained as he continued to lead the way down towards the base, “Most of the tower you see above is filled with traps and caustic acids that can melt the armor off even an angel. Really it acts more like a feeding tube for the demon to take his sacrifices in without having to leave his lair unless he wishes to. The true lair is in the tower that lays below the earth.”

Tevar sighed, beginning to wearily trudge behind Imperius, “Then lead the way. I’m right behind you.” 

As the party descended into the crater, strange shrieks echoed ahead as they passed into a cloud of inky blackness that carried a fetid scent, although a quick brush of wings from Tyrael, sent the cloud racing away to reveal the path more clearly. It also served to reveal the twisted, half human forms of the beasts before them. Inhuman wails bubbled up from throats that were crushed tight. Misshapen limb flailed out as the beast galloped forward only to be thrown aside by a deft move from Imperius’s spear. The archangel of valor snarled, wings spread as he cleared the way out before them, Tyrael just behind him to pick off any stragglers that made it pass the formidable defense of the archangel of valor. 

Tyrael paused a moment though, looking down at one of the twisted forms before letting out a soft sigh, “It is unsurprising that the fallen priests slain in the past have returned here to serve their lord once more.”

“Fallen priests?” Aladaria asked as she let lose another spell, sending one of the beasts staggering back and toppling over the cliff side as they continued their journey towards the base of the tower over long rotted stone bridges that seemed to tremble under their footfall. 

“Aye. The paladins of Zakarum, once a center of light, were corrupted by Mephisto. Now it seems their twisted souls serve him here in his sanctum in Hell.” Tyrael murmured quietly, “The priest of Zakarum were…not as strong as I thought when they were charged with containing Mephisto’s hate beneath their temple.”

“Just more mortals you’ve sacrificed it seems for your ill-conceived plans. For someone who professes to care for mortals so much, you certainly have played the part in many of their deaths and damnations.” 

Tyrael flinched a bit, his grip tightening at El’druin, “I tried my best to help the mortals contain such evil.”

“Apparently your best seems to lead to tragedy. It makes me wonder why we made you an archangel.”

“Imperius, can we…be a little nicer?” Aladria murmured, shivering a bit as she looked about, “I don’t think being mean in the shadow of a possible lord of hatred is…the soundest of ideas.”

The archangel glanced at her before letting out a quite huff, but did not respond. A part of him felt a bit miffed that someone would interrupt him letting Tyrael be made know of the overwhelming failure his existence had created. Imperius’s words though had already done their damage for now the archangel of justice to grow even more quiet, wings pulled in close to the point they were practically non-existence. The waves of hurt that spilled over from Tyrael only seemed to please some deep seeded dissonance within Imperius’s resonance that roiled in the void that had formed inside his soul. 

 

Tevar looked about nervously, jumping as the snarls of demons started to draw closer, deeper and more menacing than those previously encounter, “So are you…completely sure Mephisto is not home?”

“If he was, you would have felt it by now.” Imperius growled, grasping Solarion tighter, gaze fixed ahead as the first denizens of hatred began to emerge to attack, “The soul of a prime evil is a dark blight that grips upon the soul in ways that few mortals and even angels can resist at times.”

Aldaria shuddered, “Then I’m very grateful that he is not here any longer...”

“Maybe not here, but he could be elsewhere,” Tyrael argued, “You can feel as well as I can that the blight of hatred on this land is far more-“

Imperius didn’t wait for Tyrael to even finish his thought before he was rushing forward to charge into the mob of demons. The beasts were merely there for him to kill and unleash all the energy he wished so desperately to unleash upon Tyrael. The kernel of hatred in him felt like it was twisting more and a part of him knew that Aladria had spoken true, that allowing such feelings to fester here of all places was not the best, but he would not succumb to it. He was not so easily swayed to suddenly lash out at comrades in the heat of battle.

Tyrael at least did not hesitate, coming into the fray after Imperius to work his blade in a deadly dance through the ranks of the demons. The archangel did not pause for rest, pushing onwards towards the base of the tower without a thought for the others. He was caught up again in the moment, in the fervor of battle that helped his soul to surge. What little strategy he had managed to cobble up in all of this was starting to fray and was only Tevar’s loud cursing that caused him a moment of pause to flit back towards the group to dispatch a rather vicious six eyed spider-like demon that had managed to try and sneak up on Tevar’s flank. 

The man gave Imperius a grateful smile, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes, as if he could sense something was different now, “Thanks… scouting ahead or something?”

“No. We are nearly to our goal.” Imperius grunted before vanishing again, seeking out the latest swarm to plunge his spear into.

As they drew closer to the base of the tower, the air only seemed to grow thicker and more opressive. Even if Mephisto wasn’t present in his lair, the energy left behind by the prime evil lingered, a testament to the demon’s overwhelming power. Imperius tensed with every step forward, spear clutched tight before they were before the doors that would lead into the heart of Mephisto’s lair. 

It was far too easy to get this far and that caused the archangel to feel a waiver of concern, but again, he brushed it off. At the very least, the huge, ornate doors they stood before, carved with a likeness of the lord of hatred was untouched and a great deal of debris had gathered before it, indicating that the citadel had not been accessed in a very long time. 

That was at least a small comfort as it indicated that indeed, the prime evil had not returned to his lair and as far as Imperius was concerned, confirmed it was some other powerful demon of lesser hate, possibly an aspect of hate, which had left the fresh imprints upon the land. 

 

“Well, aren’t these some foreboding death doors,” Tevar drawled, resting his crossbow against his shoulder, “Anyone know what we will find behind them?”

“No. Honestly, none in Heaven have ever gotten this close to the doors to Mephisto’s lair.” Tyrael admitted, “It is a miracle we have managed to survive this long to see them.”

“Then let us not tempt fate further and get this business done with.” Imperius growled. 

He approached the doorway to the sanctum and began to push them open slowly, ignoring the screams of the damned imbedded into the door that screamed at his divine touch. Smoke rose and after a moment, the doors began to give way, slowly creaking open with a rattling groan. Even with his incredible strength, Imperius struggled some to force the doorway open, fighting against the locking wards until they gave way. The first sight to greet the party was not carvings or more demons, but only a yawning, silent darkness. No light glowed within the inner sanctum and what little light spilled in from outside barely pierced a few inches in. Even the glow of Imperius’s wings seemed strangled in closer, as if the oppressive darkness was infused with a hatred of its own against anything that would try to dispel it. 

The air that flowed out was far cooler than that of Hell proper and it felt stuffy and stale with age. Dust had settled thick upon the floor and there were no indications of anything being disturbed in the upper hall save for when the doors themselves were pushed in. 

The hatred that seemed to creep out of the depths of this place caused Imperius’s resonance to flare up in defiance of the corruptive touch and for a moment he glanced back to the two mortals, “Do you still wish to continue?”

“I certainly don’t want to fucking stand her where all of Hell can bite my ass if you aren’t here.” Tevar said. 

Aladria shivered as she peered into the inky blackness, wrapping both arms about herself in a gesture meant to comfort herself.

“Is this a bad time to bring up I have a slight fear of the dark?” She murmured softly.

“I say it is less the dark and the fear of knowing there is something batshit insane in the dark,” Tevar grumbled as he squinted into the dark as if that would suddenly reveal more of what was hidden, “Especially when we are going in blind.”

Imperius stepped forward into the dark, his wings spread wide. Tyrael joined him as well, his own wings glowing brightly in an effort to help light the way.

“This place has been untouched for a long time.”

“That means Mephisto is not here.” Imperius glanced towards Tyrael, “It will make our work easier.”

“He may have found a new hole to lair in though on Sanctuary.”

“Oh I’m sure your precious nephelem managed to take care of that before they blasted Pandemonium apart.”

Tyrael paused some, wings flaring as if he was going to say something before letting out a soft sigh, stepping forward deeper into the silent darkness, only coming to a halt as he reached a ledge of some sort, the outline of a yawning hole of half formed in the light of the angel’s wings.

Imperius paused for only a moment at the ledge before he held aloft Solarion, holding it above the hole as he leaned precariously over the edge, “Let us see what hellions no doubt have remained in this pit and spawned over the centuries…”

“…great.”Tevar murmured, grimacing just a bit, “More nightmare fuel.”

The archangel of valor let go of his spear, letting it fall point first down into the pit. As it passed by, the light of it illuminated the blood smeared walls from the countless sacrifices dropped into the prime evil’s lair from above. There was a tight spiral of ramps that descended downwards along the wall, covered in the claw marks of unwilling sacrifices that had tried to pull themselves back up and the far deeper marks of large claws that had pulled them back down to the heart of hatred. More importantly though, the light reflected off dull eyes in the dark which belonged to the caretakers of the lair. The creatures had black, bulging orbs placed above sagging maws that hung down to their bellies and a multitude of deformities that spoke of a consistent inbreeding among this species of demon in the bowels of the citadel. As the light entered their domain, the beast shrieked, covering their eyes and starting to rush forward, following spear with the intent on destroying the much hated source of the sudden light. 

Imperius chuckled, watching as Solarion struck the bottom, drawing more of the pathetic creatures towards it, “Shall we descend then?”

Tyrael, looked down to growing mob of beasts as they crawled over Imperius’s weapon attempting in vain to try and break it and put out the light, “You lead. I will assist the nephelem down to join you.” 

A grunt was the only response he got before Imperius jumped from the ledge, wings spread wide before pulling in close as he went into a dive. A mere thought brought Solarion back into his hands, the blade pointing downwards as the wretches below wailed and looked up screaming in protest as they realized the ruse. There was hatred in their eyes mixed with the fear as they attempted to flee, climbing over one another in an attempt to get back to the perceived safety of the tunnels and causeways that extended from the center of the room below.

They were far too slow.

Imperius hit the ground sending out a sudden shockwave of fire and light, leaving nothing but blackened corpses around him. Yet for how many he had slain in the initial attack, more of the hate born creatures shrieked in the dark, and already the archangel of valor rose, spear in hand. He could not see them in the darkness, but he could feel each and every one of them keenly from the mere corruptive presence they exuded. The archangel of valor steeled himself, wings flaring out as he issued his own challenge to the cretins. 

“Come you wretches! Come forth and meet your demise!” 

 

Imperius surged forward again, clearing out the area even as Tyrael descended, holding onto both Tevar and Aldaria. The former was already aiming and firing shots into the crowd that Imperius worked now to push back, scowling all the while, “What I wouldn’t do for a floodlight right about now. This darkness is fucking awful to deal with!”

“It is not a darkness made of natural means,” Tyrael said as he touched down, letting go of the two nephelem, “Especially the darkness that lurks in the former lair of a prime evil.” 

Tyrael wasted no time in entering the fray with his own blade to add to the carnage that Imperius had already started. Already the bodies of the strange demons littered the floor. The creatures did not bleed as much as a wisp of white seemed to race out of their emaciated bodies and flit into the air. The smell they released though was as pungent as their kin of flesh and blood, if not worse given they were probably rotting in their own skin all these years to begin with. No doubt the things fed on each other given that nothing had entered the lair since Mephisto left and there were no more scraps of meat to scavenge. 

Yet despite this, they were the hardest challenge so far to stand in the way of the party as the creatures rushed forward, wanting to devour and eat, desperate clawing at any small opening given. In time though, the steady stream ended and no longer did their cries echo in the dark. It was at least a brief moment of reprise.

Imperius leaned some on his spear, glancing over to his companions, “There should not be any more in our way. I don’t sense anymore of these wretches.”

“Thank Akarat...” Tevar said with a relieved sigh, “So guess now it is a choice of where we go next. The pitch blackness to the left, or the pitch blackness to the right?”

It was surprisingly Tyrael who stepped forward, lifting his sword towards the darkness, “We go this way. I can feel … just a hint of something that is not demonic.”

“I sense nothing,” Imperius growled, side-eying the archangel of justice.

Tyrael did not waver, already moving forward, “My own resonance and Inarius’ are nearly identical and in battle, even if we may have been apart by some distance, we could always feel one another as if we stood next to each other. That sensitivity to his resonance has not diminished, not even here in the home of Mephisto.” He paused to glance over his shoulder at Imperius, “I can sense something and it feels as if I’m sensing myself. He is here. Alive, and this is the path we must go.”

“Seems legit enough to me. Follow the bond of sort of brotherhood!” Tevar declared, peering into the dark. “Hope nothing awful is guarding him.”

Imperius snorted as he stalked forward in the direction Tyrael had indicated “Oh, there most assuredly is something awful guarding him. Of that, there is little doubt.” 

“Let me wallow in my delusions that the worse is over, Imperius. That the hand worms and the people trees and screaming white naked bone fish men were the last of this and we are able to just walk in, take Inarius and walk right back out.” 

Aldaria sighed, shaking her head, although there was a tired smile gracing her lips. For how out of place Tevar’s quips could be, they never failed to take the edge of a situation. Imperius merely snorted, “Then wait here, in the dark, until we come back. Maybe the demons won’t be able to see you.”

“Haha Imperius.” Tevar drawled, moving to nudge the larger archangel, “Aren’t you mister hilarious.”

Imperius spared only a glance down at the nudge before returning it, nearly knocking the poor mortal off his feet before starting forward in the direction that was indicated by Tyrael, “Come. Our goal is close.” 

The journey into the depths of Mephisto’s lair was quiet and all around, the walls seemed to close in, decorated lavishly with carvings of all sorts of heinous deeds Mephisto had performed in his lifetime. Hundreds of violent sins, of demon lords ripped apart and angels with their wings the only things dangling from a crushing maw were on every wall. For a moment, the hallway opened up into a larger chamber, filled with discarded, ancient crumbling bones and in the dim light put off by the wings of the angels, a larger carving of Mephisto curled up comfortably with a skeletal looking demon at his side and a rather attractive female looking demoness at his other side loomed briefly. 

Aladria paused, eyes curiously trailing over this carving, “This one isn’t violent…are they of importance to hatred?”

Imperius paused to glance up, “…Mephisto with his children. For a demon lord, he was…rather particular about the wellbeing of his spawn.” 

“To a point. As soon as they failed one too many times.” Tyrael murmured, “Then he had no qualms about leaving them to their fates.” 

“Much like Diablo with his own daughter yes?” Imperius drawled as he turned to continue forward. 

That caused Tyrael to spin about, wings flared in a rare show of actual anger. His entire form trembled, hands clenched before he forced himself to relax, collecting himself before storming after Imperius, “Must everything you say to me be spiteful?”

Aladria winced as her question led to another spat between the two and quickly moved to catch up, wedging herself between the two, “I have heard of Mephisto. He was the oldest of the trio yes?” She paused for a moment before asking, “And ah, were they blood brothers or more sworn brothers?”

“Blood brothers. The she-demon that birthed them conceived them within herself from the various would-be suitors she devoured.” Imperius said with a shrug, “Or that is what the old legends speak of in Heaven. The mad she-demon that birthed her three children and rampaged about Hell, screaming at the light and devouring anything she found and once while she slept, her three sons killed her and divided Hell between them, ending her reign.” 

“Sounds like such a lovely, loving family.” Tevar drawled, “I guess that means the three brothers were close? Always seems like they are mentioned together.”

“It may appear as such, but…it was more they used each other, made their own plans and conspired to aid each other as much as they foiled each other,” Tyrael said as they passed more carvings of unspeakable acts of evil, “Every move they make is in their own best interest and theirs alone. Diablo could have freed his brother and broken the black soul stone…but he much more preferred to consume them.”

“Guess can’t expect much loyalty between demons…” Tevar murmured, shivering a bit, “Is it me or has someone turned up the demonic AC a few clicks?”

The air indeed was growing more chilled and a few fingers of frost were starting to form on the walls, although as Imperius passed, it was quick to melt under the heat of his being. What concerned the archangel more though was the distinct lack of any further foes which seemed to build upon the impending dread that had gathered in both mortals and even within Tyrael, expecting something to happen soon. It only served to rankle Imperius’s anger, making him feel more pent up as he tried to counter both the unneeded fears lingering in the mortals and try and feel out with his resonance, what might be ahead. 

It was not long before a wave of evil seemed to pour down the hallway, the hateful energy filling the air and tearing at Imperius’s resonance as if trying to find a way in. Combined with the sudden energy was a faint red glow starting to pierce the darkness ahead through an arched opening that lay ahead. The faint light was not a welcoming sight and with how much energy was pouring from the room ahead, it meant a demon of some power was lurking within, perhaps already aware of their presence within this hateful place. 

Imperius paused at the threshold, turning to regard the two mortals before gesturing for them to stop.

“Stay here. Do not rush in until you believe you have a good idea of the attack patterns of this particular fiend. There is no need to take unnecessary risks.” He began solemnly, “Whatever is ahead is far more powerful than anything we faced yet so far.”

“That’s rich coming from the guy who charges head first into a mob of a hundred demons,” Tevar drawled.

Imperius snorted, “I can handle that. You can’t.” He jabbed a finger into the man’s chest lightly, “Stay here. If you think you can help, do so, but do not put yourself at risk. You’ll get in my way if I need to protect you on top of slaying this fiend.”

Tevar was about to response only to be silenced by Aladria covering his mouth, “We understand exactly what you are saying Imperius and we will consider your orders.” She said brightly.

Her companion gave her a look and she shared a wink with him. Something in that gesture had Tevar relaxing some and nodding. Tyrael tilted his head and for a moment, Imperius felt amusement come off the archangel of justice. Something about that wink was clearly some mortal in-joke or something. Imperius growled and turned back around. 

“I’ll go in first.”

“Just…please don’t die Imperius.” Aladria murmured, “We’ve come too far to lose you now.” 

“He does not face this fiend alone.” Tyrael said quietly, his grip on El’druin tensing, “I shall be at his side, whether he will have me or not.” 

Imperius scoffed at the other archangel’s words, squaring his shoulders as he moved towards the doorway, “Just don’t get in my way while I dispatch the jailer of Inarius.” 

“We do not know what we will even encounter Imperius. We should ere on the side of caution with approaching this battle.” Tyrael said quietly, following after Imperius.

The archangel of valor paused for a moment just before the doorway. His grip on Solarion increased. He knew Tyrael’s words should be headed, that having a strategy would always favor them against whatever foe might be there, but the kernel of hatred that had settled in his resonance for Tyrael did not want to hear him speak. Did not want to heed any of his words. He spared a single contemptuous glance to Tyrael, wings spreading out in a dismissive manner before he suddenly surge forward in a blaze of energy.

He rushed in blind, spear leading, his senses locking onto the vile presence that lurked within the depths of this place. As his light and fire filled the room, whatever had been lying in wait let out a shriek, having not expected such a furious attack and Imperius felt his spear glance something in his first pass. The archangel was quick to vanish, taking to the air in the large, open chamber, whirling about to get a better look at the monstrosity as the red light in the room started to dance about, making it hard to see the beast. 

The source of the light was a huge dangling bub attached to the creature by a withered stretch of sinew attached to the forehead of the demon that twitched about with every move the creature made.   
It was a huge specimen of hell, although that was only in terms of length. The body of the thing was nearly flat and every breath it took caused the emaciated skin to pulse unnaturally. Four eyes, two to each side of the flat face, bulged out, completely white and veined. The mouth was a gapping maw of waggling teeth that moved and clacked together as if they dangled on the edge of small bone-less fingers, creating a hellish cacophony of rasps and shrieks. The entirety of its long body was made of protruding bone and stretched black flesh that glistened with some noxious liquid. The roar it gave out, while not the most terrifying of sounds, was gurgled and warped as it curled up to face Imperius, long bony limbs extending forward, each finger ending in long claws framed by a series of smaller ones that quivered together.

“Archangel! You dare enter the sanctum of my lord Mephisto!?” The demon bellowed, the bones of its body clacking together as it shuddered in barely contained rage, “You insolent fool! I will rip you limb from limb for desecration of such unholy a place!” 

“Then stop your prattling and do so already!” 

The demon responded with another gurgled bellow as the red bulb that dangled from its forehead flicked forward, starting to glow brighter before a sudden torrent of energy lashed out towards Imperius. The archangel was quick to dodge, diving towards the ground and avoiding the fury of the blast. However, the far too agile fiend was quick to move forward even as the blast was going to rake its claws out against the angel’s armor, leaving superficial scratches against the surface. Imperius snarled, swatting away at the claws with Solarion, the impact sending showers of sparks against the floor. So focused had the demon been upon Imperius, it did not see Tyrael enter, nor know to dodge as the glowing blade of El’Duin sudden pierced one of its bulging eyes. 

The fiend shrieked in pain thrashing about and curling up, the bones along its body piercing up through the skin and lancing towards both archangel which caused them to break off their attack. Imperius could feel the dark energy in the room starting to pool stronger in the room as the beast’s hatred grew, fueled by the energies of the accursed sanctum it resided within. It turned towards the two angels, snarling as it clutched its bleeding eye in one hand, teeth clashing and rasping together.

“You! You insolent insects! You think this will be able to defeat me!? With these minor hits?”

Imperius let out an aggravated growl as the beast lowered the hand from the eye which was already quickly scabbing over indicating a rather aggressive regenerative property to this species of demon. It only meant it was going to a more difficult fight, even if they did manage to strike a multitude of hits against it. The demon was starting to curl up to attack again, laughing at the two, “You foolish hits only work to fuel my spite and my power!”

The demon let loose another ear-splitting roar as it raced forward, claws digging against the ground as it pulled itself forward, the mouth dropping further open as dark energy crackled within. A ball of foul-smelling black liquid was spewed out, coating the floor in a dangerous sticky tar. It mattered little to either angel who took to wing quickly to avoid the caustic liquid. Imperius let out a roar of his own, throwing his spear and earning a hit into the beast’s body, ripping through fragile skin and tendons. This did not seem to slow the creature, only earning more screams of rage and a crackling strike of energy hurled his way before the beast ducked into the shadows to curl about and come charging back out. 

Tyrael made another move, striking hard and severing a few fingers of one of the demon’s hands, only to be then swatted away by the other hand. Tyrael hit the ground briefly, sliding along it before he was back in the air, ducking around another ball of the tar-like substance sent his way. The smell of it mixed with the smell of the demon’s blood splattered out over the floor, a dark, putrid green that smelled of long-decayed bodies sweltering in the heat. Yet for every hit, the beast was recovering quickly, yowling in rage. 

Imperius pulled back, snarling as he looked at the demon, his rage boiling within his armor that was already turning a shade of red in response. Tyrael landed beside Imperius, quickly putting ah and upon his shoulder, “Imperius, we can’t just keep up this strategy! Just wildly hitting it is not felling it! We need to work together!”

“I am not working with you! I can handle it myself!” Imperius roared, pulling away from the other archangel and moving to charge the beast again. 

His momentum forward was impeded by glowing tendrils wrapping about his frame and managing to throw him back behind one of the pillars in the room. He landed with a grunted, already moving to get to his feet when he had Tyrael all but push him down again, “I know you hate me Imperius, but this isn’t about that! We can’t defeat it alone, not like this!”

A snarl of rage escaped the archangel and he shifted to get a foot up between the two of them and savagely kicked Tyrael off of him before vanishing and reappearing back out on the main floor of the battle, causing the demon to rapidly turn about, “I don’t need you!” 

The blow he landed this time cut a deep wound along the flimsy side of the beast, spilling more blood but again, it only served to cause the demon to scream louder, curling in on itself to lash out claws against Imperius who quickly vanished again to avoid the hit. Tyrael was trembling with an anger of his own, even as he jumped into the fray once more.

The demon had turned again towards Imperius, the bulb on its forehead charging again for a savage blast only for another blast to collide with the side of its head, quickly taking its attention off the archangel. 

Tevar glanced at Aladria from where they stood before he was grabbing her arm and taking off along the side of the chamber to the nearest pillar, “We got its attention now!”

Imperius snarled, his attention taken off the demon as it turned to regard the two scurrying figures in its lair, “What are you two doing!”

“Saw an opening and took a shot! Seems you two can’t bring it down!” Tevar shouted back, managing to squeeze off a few more shots into the face of the demon.

The hits did not cause much damage to the demon and each hit was more like annoying stings against the demon’s hide but it was enough to get the demon rushing into a mad chase after them, “I will rip you little mortals apart for this transgression!”

Imperius dove forward, not even thinking as he landed upon the narrow head of the beast, one foot punching into an eye, and one hand grasping the base of the protrusion that held its bulb. It howled, rearing up, both hands rising to try and claw at Imperius as he reached to grip at its upper lip and pull harshly, contorting its face into a very painful and more unnatural angle. 

The whole of the thing lashed, its long body cracking against pillars in the room and he could hear Tevar shrieking curses as he and Aladria were forced to rush to another pillar as their own was reduced to dust. Tyrael dove in then to try and score a hit, grunting as a bone from the beast was lanced forward, cutting up along a shoulder and leaving a long marring scratch against the gleaming plate. 

One claw dragged harshly against Imperius’s armor, leaving far deeper, nearly penetrating lacerations against his chest, sides, and back, forcing him to pull away from the demon’s heavily ripped and wounded face. 

Yet for all the damage, it was still healing quickly and it would not be long until it was in the fight again. Imperius vanished and appeared near the two mortals, practically snarling as he looked over them, “I told you to stay back!”

“You made a suggestion and we didn’t take it.” Aladria snapped back, “Now tell me you have a plan to defeat this!”

Tyrael landed, glancing over to where the demon had curled up, starting to heal itself and for a few seconds, disengaged from the fight, “There is no strategy. He is refusing to work with me on defeating this abomination.”

“Look Imperius, I know you have the world’s biggest hate boner for Tyrael right now, but we really need you to, I don’t fucking know, kill this thing! Don’t work together for him, just…do it for me and Aladria!” Tevar hollwered, peering around the pillar. “Because pretty sure we are a lot more squishy and would appreciate you taking it down.”

“Yes, do it for your mortal boyfriend,” Tyrael snapped, wings tensed, “Do it because we can agree to disagree on this, but don’t do it just out of spite! You are….you are practically feeding its power!”

Imperius glowered at all three, his armor red hot with the combined anger, hatred and irritation he was feeling about the whole situation before the turned towards the demon, clutching his spear tight. He was silent for a long moment, the demon uncurling itself and turning towards the group with a shriek of anger, sputtering out threats and curses without any real cohesive thought. 

 

“The battle of the outer spire.” Imperius suddenly snarled, not even looking at Tyrael, “This demon was not privy to our wars and will not know the strategy used in that one to crush Oglarax, aspect of immolation.”

Tyrael gave a small nod, voice tight as he took up his blade, “As you say, Imperius. I’ll do my part.”

“Don’t disappoint me, betrayer,” Imperius snarled. 

“What can we do?” Aladria asked, peeking up at Imperius, flinching as the demon began to charge.

Imperius spared them a glance back, feeling his resonance twist with concern before moving to leap forward, “Get its full attention!” 

The two nephelem paled, but already Aladria was clutching her staff tighter and Tevar was lifting up his weapon to fire, ready to do as the archangel asked.

“I swear to fucking whatever deity is up there, if this ends up getting me killed just so you can murder this bitch, my fucking ghost is going to rise out of my body and strangle you with your own wings Imperius!” Tevar snarled. 

The archangel of valor snorted, as he danced along the edges of the room, avoiding swiping attacks from the beast, “Then see to it you don’t get hit!” 

Tevar growled, lining up the shot, sparing a glance to Aldaria, “When I fire, hit it at the same time. We hit it, then we run like hell to the left. Got it?”

She nodded, eyes wide as the beast howled as Tyrael managed another small cut along its flank, spilling more of is toxic blood across the floor. 

Tevar gritted his teeth, the tip of his crossbow blazing to life before he let out a shout, sending the bolt flying forward. Aldaria thrust her staff forward, adding a bolt of power that weaved about the charging bolt that soon slammed into the side of the demon’s head, causing it to lurch back a step. The blow, for how hard it was, did little real damage, but all four of the bulging eyes twitched as it swung its head to regard the two, shrieking. 

“How dare you weaklings attack me!” the demon roared, mouth falling open and more of the bubbling tar starting to boil up, “Die!”

Aldaria yelped and started moving right, only for Trevar to curse, grabbing her and tugging her back left, the two barely managing to get behind a pillar to the left as the caustic fluid splattered over the ground.

“I said left! Left!”

“I was in a panic!” Aldaria protested, voice cracking to a near shriek, “I’m not fucking paying attention to directions!”

The demon began to charge forward, for a brief moment, its rage blinding it to the two archangels that had peeled off when the two budding nephelem had attack. Now both came down with a vengeance, power crackling along their weapons. Solarion punctured from the left, crushing through two of the bulging eyes, the tip of the spear cracking out through the roof of the fiend’s mouth. From the other side, El’Duin slide in, nearly taking the entire top of the fiend’s head off in a single blow. 

The demon managed a gurgle of rage, blood pooling up in its mouth as its entire body lashed about. The flesh was trying to mend itself even as Imperius pulled back his spear and thrusted it in again, reducing more and more of the beast’s brain to a pulp. Tyrael’s blade came down again, cutting through sinewy and bone to lose the head from the beast’s body this time. The demon raised both hands weakly in a final protest or denial of its fate before it collapsed to the ground with a thud. The whole of its body continued to twitch and move, although the red light began to fade from the bulb.

Tyrael landed, wings clenching close to his back from the exertion of the battle, turning to regard the two nephelem as they dared to come out from behind the pillar. 

“Are you two all right?”

“I think I probably pissed myself at some point, but yeah. Good. Although I think someone has proven themselves directional challenged,” Tevar drawled, glancing towards Aldaria.

The curator huffed, face flushing some in embarrassment, “Oh shut up. Not in the mood, Tevar.”

“The fiend is dead...whatever they called themselves,” Imperius growled as he came over to the trio, still covered in the blood of the beast. “We should make haste.” 

Tevar grimaced, eyeing Imperius some, “Aye, probably a good idea. You clearly need a bath as well. That or like a few gallons of windex and a whole lot of paper towels.”

Imperius snorted as he looked down at himself, before turning dismissively away, “It is not the first time I’ve been covered in blood. It matters little.”

Tevar approached the demon then, giving a kick of its head with his boot, huffing, “Thing smells to high Heaven…”

“I do not think that is the case, despite its stench,” Tyrael murmured, “Although I suppose I am grateful not to be mortal as I can only imagine what it may smell like.”

“So…what is our next move?” Aladria asked with a glance about the darkness that had once more closed in around them, “Which way are we headed now?”

Tyrael was still a moment before holding up his sword, pointing into the darkness, “I feel my brother this way.”

 

The archangel of valor looked towards the direction indicated and dared to extend his resonance out and for a moment, caught the barest hum of another angelic resonance, although it seemed warped and distorted. Then again, for how long had Inarius suffered in this place? There was no way that his resonance had not changed in some way. The warped nature of it did not necessarily mean corruption as much as it could mean agony or pain. 

“Lead the way then.” Tevar murmured, “And I hope we aren’t fighting anymore big demons like this fuck.”

Tyrael gave only the barest hint of a nod before he started to move forward and Imperius begrudgingly fell into step behind him, gaze ahead as another doorway began to be revealed by the light of their wings and soon they were plunged into another tunnel. 

This one though was different as the walls slowly went from the smooth carving of the upper floor to the more uneven walls of a natural cave. Markings were still on the wall but were far older than the carvings from before, crudely etched out onto the walls and depicted more than just Mephisto, his children, and his brothers. There were other demons here now, some larger and more ornate, although it was hard to tell with how crude the etchings were. Aladria paused from time to time, eyes wide in wonder as she reached out to trace over the markings, pausing her fingers along runes of the demonic tongue. 

“What do these say?”

Imperius did not slow his pace, gaze still ahead, “I do not know. I did not bother to learn the demonic tongue.” 

“Most angels never bothered to learn Hell’s language. Malthael could speak and read it though.” Tyrael paused to look at the runes briefly, “If I recall, it was Magtherius supposedly who instructed him in their unholy tongue.”

“Huh…and where did Magtherius learn it?” Aladria asked curiously, head turning left and right to take in the plethora of markings and carvings. 

“Many of the ancient archangels could speak the demonic tongue fluently and Magetherius was the last of them.” Imperius cast a glance at the carvings on the wall. “How they learned to speak it, I do not know.” 

Aladria only nodded, falling to silence as she continued to take in the runes, sneaking out the device that Tevar had called a phone before from her robes and quietly starting to take pictures. Each press of the button gave a small flash that briefly lit up more of the area, revealing only empty tunnels ahead. The air though was growing thicker with evil, although Imperius noted a different feel to this one. It was more ancient, like a lingering scent of something that had been far gone from this world but was powerful enough to still have left its mark. It did not feel like hatred. 

If anything, it felt even colder. 

Ahead a dim white light could be seen creeping through the dark as well as the steady drip of water. The sight brought no comfort to the group, and all were on guard as they crept forward slowly. Imperius could feel the angelic energy growing stronger, and he moved passed Tyrael, stepping forward into the room with spear in hand. There were no demons here, nor sign of Inarius. The source of the light were the gleaming bones massive skeleton of some ancient demon. The body itself was thrice times the size of Diablo or any of his brothers, even larger than the prime evil itself. The bones seemed carved of the whitest porcelain, perfectly preserved so far underground. The whole of the creature seemed curled about a chamber of sorts and light poured from a hole in the top to illuminate the skeleton, almost like it was some sort of twisted shrine. Yet for how large and powerful the skeleton appeared, the cause of death was obvious as the entire top of the skull, right before the spreading crown of horns was crushed in, punctured between the many sets of eyes the beast once had. . 

Aladria’s eyes widened and she lifted her phone to take a picture, “….what is that? Or…who is that?” She asked softly. 

“Who was that.” Tevar corrected as they edged closer to the base of the massive skeleton, “One hell of a demon there.”

“I do not know the name of the fiend. I can offer a guess.” TYrael murmured, pausing just beneath the shattered skull, “This is the mother of the prime evils herself… the she-demon who was said to once rule Hell and had devoured so many angels, it caused her bones to glow with their trapped souls…” 

Imperius scoffed, moving towards the doors clutched about the skeletal claws that led to the chamber it seemed to guard, “Only legends and folklore told to scare young angels.” He sneered, “The light comes from within this chamber and only used to make it appear to glow.”

Aladria huffed some, shaking her head, “A little respect for ancient lore please? Let us not forget that you were considered a non-existent fairytale.”

“The demons of Hell are known for over embellishing their stories.” Imperius growled as he approached the door, resting his hands against it. 

“And the angels don’t?” Tevar asked.

Imperius ignored his question, instead squaring his shoulders and with a grunt, pushing open the heavy doors before them.

The room within was strange in that it did not seem to belong in Hell with its gleaming walls of flawless mirrors and the radiant light that filled the room.. Yet the horrific hooks and chains that hung throughout the room and dug into the figure that hung listlessly at its center was all the reminder needed for as to where this place was located. 

The figure was an angel although the robes and armor they wore were torn apart at odd angles, revealing the twisted radiance of energy within. The wings were stretched out along hooks, frayed and torn like shredded worms of light that only twitched weakly now and then. The figure themselves was unresponsive to the intrusion, arms pulled out at an obviously painful and unnatural angle while the legs were spread so far apart, it would seem that the figure was mere inches away from being ripped in two.

Despite the horrific shape the angel was in, Imperius knew without hesitation who they were.   
Even after all this time, he knew the resonance and appearance of Inarius.

Imperius’s wings flared in alarm at the sight and he found himself coming to a standstill. A pang of guilt raced through him, reminded for how long Inarius had probably been left like this. True Inarius had done a terrible crime, one that was perhaps unforgivable, but even the archangel of valor would baulk at tormenting anyone so. A quick execution or death yes, but not millennium of unending torture only meant to cause pain and suffering of this magnitude. 

Tyrael drew closer first, gently pushing away the hooks and chains in his way to draw closer to the figure, daring to raise ah and to touch the shoulder of the bound figure. “Inarius...brother….are you….do you recognize me?”

There was no response at first from the figure and for a moment, Imperius wondered if Inarius’s mind had left leaving only a shell of his resonance. However, a quiet, raspy laugh filled the silence of the chamber and the head raised slightly, just enough to cause the chains and hooks digging into the head of the archangel to jangle softly. 

“So you return at last… Mephisto. Come to torment…torment me with the specter of my brother again...” Inarius rasped out, “Have you…run out of ways to torment my mind?”

“I am no illusion of hatred, brother.” Tyrael murmured. “My resonance cannot be so easily replicated and I know you can feel its song now.”

Another rasping wheeze escaped Inarius as his head lolled to the side, “I doubt my senses…you do not know what they are capable of….” The angel shuddered, going limp again in the chains, “You are not my brother…only delusions that haunt me, torment me….”

“It is true! I am Tyrael.” The archangel of justice’s tone grew a touch strident, one hand moving to start trying to undo the chains, “And we are here to rescue you.”

“There is no rescue here. The door has been left open many times and every time I leave…you’ll make me hurt ten times over, Mephisto.” Inarius hissed. “I won’t give you the satisfaction again.” 

There was something cold and unnerving in Inarius’s tone. Imperius felt a slight unease, but pushed that aside as just a product of the torment Inarius endured. He began to move towards Inarius, although he paused to start yanking chains down, causing hooks to fall away from the angel’s wings, “This is no illusion. The time of your liberation is at hand Inarius. That is, if you are sane enough to be trusted.”

“And Imperius as well? That is a new one.” Inarius let out another horse chuckle, raising his head, “If you are my brother, then what is something that only Tyrael would know? Please, let me hear what lies you will try to fabricate about our past?”

Tyrael was silent, turning to glance at Imperius before looking back to his brother. His grip tightened against Inarius’s shoulder as he lowered his head, voice growing quiet, “One time, we snuck into the tower that once belonged to our sire, without Malthael’s knowledge nor his blessings. We were going to try and get the great observatory to work, so that we may use it to…that we may find a way to fuse our resonance.” 

Tyrael paused, his voice trembling with a touch of sorrow, “We never felt…like we belonged and we got it into our heads that if we could just merge, we could reform properly as one, as Magtherius again, and then we would have a place but…well, instead we ended up breaking one of the crystals. We hid the shards in your robes and snuck to Pandemonium to bury the shards so no one would know it was us. Malthael turned Heaven on its head in a fit of anger to find who broke it but he never caught us and we promised we would take that secret to our deaths.”

Inarius was silent for a long while, staring at Tyrael before he lowered his head, letting out a broken laugh, “Real…you are really…it is really you Tyrael. After all this time…you are…you are really here.” 

The imprisoned angel shook his head as more hooks were pried off him by the archangel of valor, his wings falling limply to the floor as soft golden strands against the floor. Inarius stood staring at the floor for a moment before looking up, “But why now? What has changed that made you wish for my freedom…?”

“Because there is no Heaven left, your Sanctuary lies in the ruins of evil, taken by the demons, and frankly there is nothing left to lose in correcting this one wrong,” Imperius growled as he pulled off the last chain, “Hell broke the treaty. You are free as your imprisonment by Mephisto is null and void.” 

Inarius let out a sharp hiss of pain as the last hook was pried out from his back, a string of glowing blood following it. The once glorious angel sagged against the floor, soon dropping to his knees without the support of the hooks holding up his frame. It almost seemed like he no longer knew how to move his limbs. It was with great effort that he even managed to get onto his hands and knees, although the effort caused his whole frame to tremble. 

“I have long given up all dreams of freedom...” Inarius murmured, “I will not question the circumstances that have allowed it.” He paused for a moment before lifting his head, “The news that concerns me is what has become of my Sanctuary.”

The two nephelem had dared to enter then, Tevar eyeing the new angel, “Is he going to be able to stand and get out of here with us or do one of you have to carry him?”

“I can stand on my own, just fine.” Inarius growled, slowly starting to rise shakily to his feet, “it has simply been too long since last I stood...”

His words trailed off as his gaze fell upon Tevar and Aldaria, wings flaring out slightly as they gathered themselves up, “Nephelem…. Powerful ones. This...this should not have occurred with the worldstone in place.”

“The worldstone is long since gone and in fact, these two are but a fraction of the power the nephelem wielded during my last hours upon Sanctuary,” Imperius glanced to the two mortals, “And your Sanctuary is nothing like you remembered it. Your vision has long since died.”

“That’s rather dramatic of you.” Tevar drawled, “Make us sound like naughty children who just disappointed dad.” 

“…What….? I…no…what have you all done to my Santuary?” Inarius murmured, trying to step forward and nearly falling once more. 

 

Tyrael moved to offer a shoulder for Inarius to lean on, wrapping one arm about his brother. His wings were flicking about in worry, almost twining anxiously with that of his brother in an attempt to calm the other, “Do not let your pride blind you now. If you need assistance, I will gladly give it now. I failed you before, but this time, I do not intend to follow blind the will of any counsel…you will be safe now Inarius.”

“I will be...fine. Relatively speaking.” Inarius murmured, drawing his mutilated wings about his shoulders as he moved away once more from Tyrael, “I am still struggling to believe this is not some trick. How did you two even best Mephisto?”

“Mephisto is not here. He is….long since departed.” Imperius turned away back towards the dark passage they had come from, “But we cannot linger. No doubt the forces of Hell will soon be moving against this place to barricade us in until their forces are great enough to overwhelm even us.”

Inarius staggered forward a bit, form trembling but forcing each step through a sheer will of stubbornness or perhaps shock at being free of his torment had lent him the energy to move for now. Each step though grew slightly more confident, although he paused to use Imperius as a crutch on his way towards the door, “...if this is no trick and we indeed will face against the beasts of Hell, then it would be prudent to allow me a weapon.”

“None was brought for you.” Imperius murmured, “We did not know if you were alive or if so, would even be fit to wield one. You are ….surprisingly lucid.”

Inarius let out a broken laugh, shuffling away from Imperius and wrapping his arms back around himself, “I will not lie and say I am sane, but the torment was more endurable when Mephisto left me. I have...learned to fill the silence with my own thoughts and staring at my own tortured visage has….dulled with the centuries.” There was a small attempt by Inarius to straighten his walk, although he ended up shuddering and hunching over again, clearly suffering from the long years of torture upon his resonance, “Perhaps the shock of all this hasn’t yet found time to settle. Perhaps the idea and hope of freedom lends me to find sanity from the years of torture.”

Imperius could feel the uneven twang of Inarius’s resonance. Still powerful in its own right, but there was something off. Undeniably, something had broken within Inarius although the archangel of valor could not put his finger upon it. Perhaps Tyrael, having always felt and sang with Inarius’s resonance more closely, would know more of it but he would not ask. He did not want to speak to Tyrael about anything more than he had to. 

For now, the most pressing matter was their escape from this accursed place. 

Imperius turned away from the group, moving ahead and already reaching out with his resonance for any sign of the enemy. The ancient passages remained empty though with only the lingering imprint of evil that echoed in the chambers. Tyrael once more moved to Inarius’s side, this time the latter accepted his help, slinging one arm about the archangel of justice’s shoulders as they moved forward. 

Aladria cast one last look to the room where the skeleton lay, letting out a soft sigh, “I wish I had the time to really study this place and discover what it was about.”

“You want to learn where Hell came from?” Tevar drawled, “That doesn’t seem like a really safe area of study.”

“I know but…sometimes the past holds the answers to the future,” She murmured.

“She sounds almost like Itherael.” Inarius rasped, “Is he still lollygagging in his library being particularly useless for an archangel?”

“He is gone. As are all the others.” Tyrael murmured, following after Imperius, keeping his grip tight on his brother, “Imperius and myself are…the last of Heaven.”

“Well, three angels now, if we get Inarius out alive.” Tevar pointed out, “Is that enough to create a new Heaven? Make some angel babies or something?”

Aladria gave a hard nudge to Tevar’s side and shot him a look, causing the man to huff back, “What?”

“Not the time, Tevar.” She growled. 

“Oh so you can wonder about demon history, but when I wonder about where baby angels come from, you let me have it, I see how it is.” 

“Are…all the nephelem like these two?” INarius asked, his voice amused, “If so…I say my Sanctuary may be just fine.”

Imperius let out a growl, picking up his pace as he moved forward, entering back into the chamber where the slain corpse of the large demon from before still lay, “Cease your prattle! You are wasting your breath and time!”

Inarius paused for a moment at the sight of the demon, shaking his head, “...I’m surprise the four of you managed to slay Gortatog… that wretched beast…” Inarius shuddered, as if recalling something from his torment, “I cannot…I cannot say I am not happy to see him gone…” 

“Is that what the wretch called itself?” Imperius waved a dismissive hand, “It was a troublesome fight, but not the worse to be had.”

Inarius pushed himself away from Tyrael again, staggering forward and grasping onto one of the boney protrusions of the beast. For a moment he paused before savagely ripping it free and slamming it over and over against the corpse with a sudden burst of rage. His entire being shook as he cursed the dead body of Gortatog. Imperius did not say a word, letting Inarius have his moment. He could only imagine what things the jailer had put Inarius through over the long millenniums of his imprisonment. He instead kept his attention focused on the way they came in, his resonance feeling out the area for even the barest hint of a demon. The lack of any hint of more demons had Imperius on edge.

It was growing rather worrisome really that there was so little resistance as they made their way out. 

All of this felt too easy, almost as if they were being set up. 

Inarius was trembling and shaking as he staggered back from the body, the makeshift bone spear in hand. Tyrael stepped forward to offer assistance only to be waved away as Inarius withdrew, staggering forward again. 

“Are you sure you do not want assistance?”

“Save it Tyrael. The moment I accept it now, the more real this will all feel and when that happens, I will not be able to stand or keep my mind focused as all,” Inarius croaked, “I do not want to realize any of this is real. Not yet. Let me believe this is some elaborate dream and that I will wake up soon. Do not let hope render me blind.”

The archangel of justice remained silent before giving a nod, darting forward ahead of Imperius and back into the main foyer, “I will go upwards to secure the door and our exit from this place then.” 

Imperius watched him go with a snort, although a small kernel of spite resonated in his core. He could feel the strength and determination that ebbed off Tyrael that once reminded him of how his own soul burned before the betrayal. Back before the aching hole had open within him and only feelings of spite remained for Tyrael and of his choices. Seeing Tyrael again in his element also brought a pang of remorse as at one time, that energy had been shared between them in the fields of battle. 

Back before everything had gone wrong.

Inarius watched Tyrael go, inclining his torn robbed head towards Imperius briefly, “He hasn’t changed.”

“He has changed more than you know and none for the better.” Imperius growled as he stalked forward quickly, wings starting to flare out, “Tevar, Aldaria, hold onto me. Once we are at the doors, we will fly back to the entrance.”

“I thought you said that would leave you open to attacks and shit?” Tevar responded, although he moved to easily keep pace with Imperius.

“It will...so unfortunately I must put my faith in Tyrael’s blade and Inarius’s … shrewdness.” Imperius sneered, “They are faster in the air and better against strike attacks from the winged cretins of Hell.” 

Inarius let out a broken laughter at that, “Ah, my shrewdness. I suppose that is a polite way of putting how you always saw my more underhanded strategies in the past.” 

“Not like I can anymore trust your blade then or even more so now,” Imperius shot back, a slight sarcastic tinge to it, “At least now you have a more direct goal to fight for or are you sick of killing demons?”

“Sick of killing demons.” Inarius laughed, although there was no humor to his words, “I’m ready to slaughter every single one of these monsters…”

Aladria shivered at the cold tone of Inarius’s words and she moved to stand closer to Imperius. She shared a look with Tevar who lifted a finger to circle against the side of his head before blowing out a whistle. Imperius wasn’t sure what gesture he was trying to convey, but he got the feeling it wasn’t a flattering one. 

“Then earn your way out, Inarius. The path to Heaven is through the forces of Hell.” 

They came to the main foyer again and already above, there were faint sounds of battle indicating that Tyrael had found some trouble to tangle with. Imperius quickly moved to wrap both arms about Tevar and Aladria, the former of which squirmed to keep his hands free to clutch his bow, eyes fixed up above. 

“Already Imperius. Let’s get this final leg of this Hell trip on the road. Operation get the fuck out of dodge.” 

“Out of …nevermind.” Imperius growled before he began to rise quickly, shooting up to the top of the foyer like a rocketing ball of flame. Inarius followed in his wake, although he was wavering, zigzagging more like a damaged butterfly trying to fly once more but still managed to keep on Imperius’s heels. The light of Hell poured in from above and brought with it the smell of Sulphur blood. 

Tyrael was at the doorway, ducking and weaving as he handled small waves of demons, ensuring the doors remained opened and clear. Imperius flew by, quickly ascending towards the sky to put distance between himself and those demons that walked below. Inarius followed after him, clutching the make-shift bone spear and wavering back and forth as his shredded tendrils of wings spread wide.

Tyrael was the last to get into the air, carving a path through a few more of the demons before vaulting over their heads and rising into the air. Without a word he darted to fly before Imperius, sword at the ready. Tevar clutched tight to Imperius, letting out a groan, eyes closed.

“I forgot how jarring flying was….”

“Motion sickness?” Aldaria asked, a touch a grin to her features.

Tevar dared to crack open an eye to shoot a glare her way, his grip tightening on Imperius, “Yes thank you and if you say another word, I’m puking on you.”

“As long as you don’t vomit on me, nephelem, or I swear I will drop you.” Imperius growled. “Because I tolerate you does not mean I wish to be covered in your bile.”

“Honestly? My bile is probably an improvement from the demon guts and blood you are covered in.” Tevar drawled.

Tyrael laughed a little which earned him a heated glare from the archangel of valor. The archangel of justice at least was wise enough not to put forth some comment of his own, instead keeping to formation as they blazed across the sky. The broil of Hell was thicker now and the evil of the land felt more apparent. The forces of Hell were on the move, although where, Imperius could not say. They did not seemed gather about them, although ahead, a swarm of black winged fingures seemed to be heading their way. 

“We got incoming, “Tevar growled, “Looks like they are rolling out more fucks to come nip at our asses.”

“They will not get close to either of you.” Tyrael said, wings flaring in a sign of aggression. “They will rue the day they tried to impede justice!”

The archangel justice dove forward then, quickly thrusting head first into the swarm. He was fast, quickly moving through the swarm and severing the flying bat-like demons in half with ease. One of the larger fiends rose up with a bellow only to go flying backwards and then into the earth as the bone spear Inarius had brought cut through it. Tevar let out a low whistle, glancing to the new addition to their party, “Good aim there but ah, you kind of threw away your weapon.”

Inarius didn’t even spare a glance Tevar’s way, raising a hand up, energy starting to build about it, “I am not a carrier of spears. I must prefer the blade, but if I must, I have trained in the ways of magic.”

He thrust his hand forward and unleashed a torrent of light that lashed out, cutting a path of destruction through the demons. They fell in screeching, steaming piles of gore from the sky. Aladria huffed some as she clutched her staff, focusing her own energy, “He makes this magic stuff look so easy.”

 

Tevar only chuckled as he took aim, unleashing a volley, “Well, if this swarm of demons are all that are in our way then our chances are looking-“

His words trailed off as before them, just over the rise of the last set of mountains topped with the twisted trees of Belial’s domain, the ground seemed to be moving. Thousands upon thousands of demons massed ranging in size from the diminuative fallen ones from before to massive, towering masses of muscle and features that were warped like the head had been rung like a blood-soaked towel. The power that surged was immense and Imperius found himself slowing at the sight. 

“I take it back. We are so fucking fucked sideways,” Tevar murmured, clutching his weapon tight, “We are are about to be devoured and shat out as steaming piles of demon shit.” 

“Silence!” Imperius hissed, his grip tightening on the two, “the moment you give in to fear, is the moment we lose. We are not dead yet and I do not plan on letting them have us, not now.”

“Then what is the plan?” Tevar asked with a growl, “Is Tyrael going to fight all of Hell to the left and you all of Hell to the right while myself, Ala, and Inarius tip toe by?”

Imperius did not respond, wings taunt and his grip tight as he surveyed the seemingly impossible odds before them. But yet, had they not done some rather impossible things already? They had found and freed Inarius. They had desecrated the depths of Hatred and managed to ascend once more to freedom. All that was left in their way was more demons. 

Victory was too close to simply let Hell win. 

The archangel of valor’s wings flared as he looked over the fields of battle, his mind racing. The way out was blocked by the swarming mass of demonic bodies. To fight their way out, they would be overwhelmed and quickly killed. Unless, of course…

“Tyrael! Take them!” Imperius roared, moving closer to the other archangel, “Get them through the barrier entrance with Inarius.”

“How?! You are not so blind as to not see the way is blocked!” Tyrael argued, although he sheathed his blade so as to wrap both arms about Tevar and Aladria.

Imperius snarled, summoning Solarion to his hands, tightening his grip, “I will make the hole, just brief enough for you and Inarius to get out. If I can make enough of an impact there, with all the power I can have, without holding back, it will give you the opening needed.”

“The heat of it might kill the mortal ones.” Inarius pointed out. “Your full power is akin to trying to stand upon the sun.”

“Aladria. You can erect a barrier shield yes?” Imperius snapped, glancing to the scholar.

She blinked, before nodding, “I uh, yes. Yes I can but-“

“When I hit, erect it about yourself and Tevar. It should hold up long enough to get through the worse of the heat.” Imperius commanded. 

“I am not leaving you to fight all of Hell on your own Imperius!” Tyrael snapped, “This plan-“

“IS the best we have, Tyrael! You will do as I say. It is easier for me to find my way out without having to worry about the mortals or Inarius. Neither of them are in any shape to handle this!” 

Tyrael was silent, his grip tightening slightly before he nodded, “…if you die, Imperius-“

“If you fuckign die, I’m coming into Hell, grabbing your body, bring you back to life just so I can punch you as hard as I can in your fucking face!” Tevar hollered, “You better be right behind us!”

“I will.” Imperius promised, grip tightening, “They will not gather so quickly as to block my path. I will follow along.”

The armies before them were raising their war cries, the din of it feeling like it was shaking the very air before them. Imperius gave one last glance over at Aladria and Tevar, giving a small nod of his head, “We will meet again in Heaven. No one falls this day. I swear it.” 

He moved forward then, wings spread wide and pushing himself forward. He did not teleport, not yet. He needed as much momentum as he could muster before he did so to build up the necessary force for the strike. Tyrael and Inarius were on his heels, flying in close, ready to move as soon as the hit was made, the latter struggling to keep up, yet his resonance burned brightly, working as hard as it could to fuel him for this last push.

Now it all relied on being able to hit, and to hit hard, just below where the tunnel of their escape was.

In battle, Imperius could always control the energy of his strikes to avoid harming allies. Of course the trade-off of that was he never truly hit the area at full force with every bit of strength he had. He wasn’t about to hold back now. Across the skies of Hell, he was a burning comet, spear held forward towards the surging mass of armies. The demons swarmed in glee, clacking hideous maws and teeth together. Their shrieks and cries of triumph at blocking his way filling the air. Imperius snarled, every bit of his being tensed as he drew closer. Every part of his being locked and ready for the impact. He waited until the last possible moment to vanish mere moments before impact appearing just before the ground with with all his built up momentum. The result was an added, sudden burst of speed added to how fast he had already been going. He hit the ground with all the force of falling star.

The entire ground exploded around him, creating a crater and throwing up a swirl of holy energy. Fire and heat erupted from all around burning more like the forge of Heaven. Demons didn’t’ even get a chance to scream before they were reduced to ash, the ground turned into a molten death pit. The energy lashed out like a building maelstrom, covering the whole side of the mountain in a ring of heavenly fire, sending a booming shockwave of debris down over those demons out of range, reigning a molten death upon them. The air burned around him and his armor was practically glowing with the heat he had put off, but not a single demon now stood anywhere near the entrance to Sanctuary. The way now stood clear for a few brief moments. 

Above him, he felt the rush of wings, barely glancing up as Tyrael rushed passed, Aladria clutching her staff tight and maintaining the barrier, although it was cracking under the intensity of Imperius’s unleashed power. The speed of the archangel of justice was what kept them safe as Tyrael dove through the gap they had entered through, Inarius following close behind. 

The armies of Hell howled and Imperius rose to his feet, already whirling about, intent on following them through, only for the entire face of slope, once more blocking the entrance. The archangel of valor tensed, gripping Solarion tight, his wings spread in a show of aggression as laughter filled the air above him. He felt the power of the two demons that stood above where the landslide had started before he saw them. Both towered over the teaming masses of demons starting to close in again around Imperius,

One was a lanky, almost sickly looking fiend with eyes too large for its narrow head and thin frame. It looked deceptively weak, several arms dangling from its body and a hundred short tendrils lashing out along its back. The despicable thing wore a wide grin, the slits of their bulging red narrowed in delight. Imperius was not familiar with them, but their companion, that was a demon he knew well and frankly, was surprised to see standing.

The demon was tall, with broad shoulders the chest of it nothing but sanguine ribs. The head was shark-like, ending in a point with rows of razor teeth and the spine descended from the back like a braid. The most arresting feature though was the lack of hands, instead both ended in long vicious blades. They stood beside the lanky one, crouched forward, both of their blades dug into the earth, no doubt the cause of the sudden landslide.

“Rakanoth…” Imperius snarled, “I thought the nephelem killed you, banishing you to the void.”

The lord of despair laughed, lifting both hands and the heavy blades they ended in, “There is much you do not know about the world in these days, oh mighty Imperius! Much has changed!”

The demon at his side cackled shrilly, taking a step to stand before Rakanoth, an indicator that this one was now of higher rank than the lord of despair, “Did you think we would just let you escape, archangel?” It sneered, its voice familiar, “Our master told us to wait, to impede your escape. Those two might have slipped through, but we will make sure to serve your wings to our master!”

Imperius snarled, wings flared, “You…you spoke to me before demon! In the forest!”

The fiend only cackled, spreading its many hands out in a mocking gesture, “And you could not kill me then, you will not do so now. Not when all of Hell is here to kill you.”

The roar of demons surrounded Imperius and the shrieks of and cackles echoed from every rock as the armies of Hell regrouped. They clambered over rocks on claws, tentacles, and by wing, all of them scrambling for a chance to tear into Imperius. The archangel of valor though felt no fear, only anger, and frankly, a little bit of a thrill at being left completely alone to do as he pleased against Hell’s tides. He let out a laugh, wings flaring brighter. 

“All you fools have done is to trap all of you in here with me! But come! Come and meet your end, foul spawns of the Burning Hells!” 

The first swarms approached and Imperius swung his spear about, not holding back for the first time in a long time, cutting a path of destruction through the ranks of his attackers. He did not remain still, already vanishing and reappearing into another group of the demons, his spear carving a deadly path. 

Up on their perch, the two demons that no doubt commanded this legion watched, Rakanoth with a quiet calculative air, the other with a manic eager glee, all their hands clutched to the rocks, “Kill him! Rip his armor apart! Tear his wings and feast upon his soul!”

Imperius only scoffed at the shrill commands, leaping back as a larger demon brought its fists down in an effort to crush him. Quickly he threw his momentum forward again and dove forward, coming up to ram his spear into the belly of the beast. Blood and entrails spewed out over him as he twisted the spear to lift up the bulky corpse of the demon upon his spear point and then send it flying into another mob of attackers. 

Yet for every demon he slew, several more rose to take its place. 

Blood and limps were thrown to all sides as the archangel of valor created a circle of death around him, the bodies piling hide and becoming a hazard that the demons now were scaling to come at him. The pace of the archangel did not slow as Imperius did not need to rest as mortals did. He only burned hotter and brighter as his fury rose to new, dizzying heights. With every clash, he arose again from the carnage, no longer seeming a being of Heaven, every inch of him now covered in blood, baptizing him in the frenzy of the desperate battle. His armor now bore the marks of claws and lucky hits, a few starting to glisten with the slow ooze of his inner essence, and yet he fought on, quickly recovering when he was given a second or two to gather his wits. 

Yet even he knew he could not keep up this pace. One archangel could not take on all of Hell. 

His gaze went to the rocks, still covering the path and knowing he had no time to clear and escape, not with this new fiend and Rakanoth above. The latter of which he was still trying to understand how he drew breathe again when he should be banished to the void. 

What had happened in the years he was gone that the lords of Hell and their many lieutenants could return? 

Such questions though could not be answered and Imperius pushed them aside, grasping for a plan, some way to escape. The peals of laughter from the unfamiliar fiend though, how prideful the being was and so confident of their victory. A young demon no doubt with far too much confidence in their ability and easily goaded to a fight. 

 

The latest pack of demons was pushed aside and Imperius rose, spear pointed towards Rakanoth and the other demon, his voice rising above the din, “Do you throw only these underlings at me or will you two come and try and fight me yourselves or are you afraid of my power? I know you, Rakanoth cannot be too mighty as to be slain by mortal hands!”

The lord of despair snarled openly, rearing up to his full height. A nerve had been struck. The smaller fiend let out a loud hiss, gnashing fangs before leaping forward, holding up their hands, “Hold, all of you! Stand back and witness as I, Malicor, first among the disciples of Mephisto kill this archangel!”

“Malicor…I’ll be sure to mark that as your name when I mount your head upon my wall.” Imperius sneered.

He almost could have laughed at how easy this demon was to try and fight him one-on-one in combat just to show off its power to the many demons of Hell.

The demons pulled back, creating a ring about the two combatants, all raising a din of excitement to witness the battle. Already Malicor was starting to circle slowly, only pausing to hiss at Rakanoth as the lord of despair approached the edge of the make-shift ring, “You stay out of this or I shall have you strung up. You failed to contain one archangel…I will contain this one.”

Rakanoth bared his teeth, but fell back. It only meant to Imperus that a new pecking order had been established in Hell and despite his reputation during ages pass, it seemed the lord of despair no longer stood high on the hierarchy. 

A boon really. Of the two, Imperius had hoped this fiend, this Malicor, would be the one he faced. Rakanoth might have been clever enough to realize the ultimate plan the archangel of valor was about to put into motion. Malicor though…. He was a young demon, young enough to have been born after Imperius had fallen. 

And if experience had taught Imperius anything after thousands of years of the Eternal Conflict, the younger demons were always the most overly ambitious and were quick to get in over their heads against the forces of light. 

The two combatants circled each other as the din of Hell echoed around them. Malicor snarled and snapped, giving small darts forward that were met by jabs of Imperius’s spear to keep the demon at bay. Neither moved to rush into a strike, more than aware of the hundreds of eyes upon them as they dueled. Each step valor took was careful though, anger hot in his soul, but tempered by the need to keep the larger goal in mind. At his back, beyond the ring of demons was the collapsed path with only a few feet of stone to block it. All it would take was one blast.

All he had to do was goad Malicor into doing the work for him during their battle. 

The demon was the first to move, impatience taking him. A roar ripped forth as they moved forward, claws outstretched. Imperius was quick to duck down, catching the claws of the first pair of hands with the hilt of his spear and with a surge of strength, sending him flying across the ring. The demons about let out a shriek of anger, a few snapping at Imperius’s heels when he was too close to the edge, although he paid that little mind. Malicor was already coming in for another attack, letting out a challenging shriek.

They traded blows, neither one gaining the upper hand in the conflict. Both scored minor hits against the other. Blood and holy ichor stained the ground as they danced back and forth. Burst of energy exited Malicor’s maw as he attempt to catch Imperius off guard only for the archangel of valor to quickly move about the field of combat. All of Hell seemed to scream in delight at every hit scored against Imperius by Malicor and groaned with every hit the archangel made. The only demon who sat silently and watched was Rakanoth, the lord of despair leaned forward only slightly as if trying to discern what Imperius was truly trying to achieve. 

Imperius did not make any glances behind him, only catching glimpses when he switched sides of the arena with his opponent when they met for another bout. The rock wall so far had been battered, giving way and smaller gaps were appearing, giving small glimpses into the caverns beyond. It would just need one more push, one well placed stray hit for the way to be cleared again. 

Imperius darted away, shifting to appear just before the landslide. He kept his stance open, faking a moment of fatigue to make it seem as if he was leaving himself open for Malicor to hit. The foolish young demon took the bait and let out a pealing roar of victory before unleashing a torrent of energy from its maw. The archangel was gone in a flash before the blast even drew close. The rocks exploded and a few fiends caught in the blast disintegrated with cries of alarm. Imperius appeared just to the side, crouched, and wings flared.

He did not speak nor gloat as time was not on his side. All that was necessary was getting through the gap that was made before it was sealed again. Rakanoth tensed, rising some, but did not move to impede Imperius. No doubt Malicor’s failure would benefit the lord of despair, given it was the smaller demon’s folly. There was no honor among Hell beasts after all and the need to gain rank within their cutthroat hierarchy never made any allies. 

Imperius’s entire form heated up as he began to move forward, intent on teleporting forward and into the mouth of the cave and be well on his way to freedom. 

“No!”

Malicor, perhaps in a frenzy at seeing their victory so close, has moved forward faster than anticipated, recklessly launching themselves forward and onto the back of the archangel, just as he vanished. The sudden weight upon his back caused Imperius’s concentration to break and he found himself slamming into the ground before the entrance. The demon roared and delight as claws dug in, raking against the armor leaving deeper marks and the mouth of the fiend closed about the strut of one wing, crunching down hard and eliciting a sudden scream of anger and pain from Imperius. Yet the archangel did not accept such punishment easily, struggling and against the odds, managing to claw his way to his feet, staggering as he fought to rip at the grip of the demon upon him.

The claws continued to tear at him as he struggled, wings flaring and burning bright as they wrapped about Malicor’s frame, burning the fiend in the holy fire. The demon yowled in pain but did not relinquish its grip, willing to suffer pain if it meant the archangel’s demise. Imperius bucked and tore at the hands with his own, even slamming back against the earth, crushing the demon between his own weight and the ground. He only felt the claws of the demon only curl in tighter, even as its skin blistered and burst. The pain was intense, more so then even when he was pierced by Diablo himself so long ago. 

Yet despite the pain, he found the will enough to fly and surged upwards, taking to the skies and flying higher and higher into the air, fire burning along his form. White glowing trails of his inner being slid along his broken armor, mixing with the blood of the demons already spattered against it. Malicor’s clawed hands ripped into the metal, tearing new wounds sinking in deeper even as they howled in agony. The whole demon was engulfed in flames, its skin nothing but blisters. Both eyes had burst in the heat, and yet it fought, desperate for its victory.

Imperius stopped rising, turning in midair and started to fall back down to earth, ripping at the claws at his being, the two struggling as they now fell, the flames growing only hotter and Malicor’s grip weakening. Yet the demon did not give up, summoning up the strength to pull back one its large, viciously clawed hands and bring it forward with all the power it had left to give. The blow struck hard against armor already barely held together against long claws and bleeding heavily, digging deep into the very core of the archangel and twisting its evil against the choir of his inner resonance.

The archangel of valor felt the rush of agony that was blinding. So clearly he felt Malicor’s evil, the song of hate that was surging through the demons vile soul and pouring into his own. It was a rolling broil of corruption. Yet Imperius did not give up, did not feel the fear of what the demon strike had wrought. His fire burned only hotter as they collided with the ground, the impact leaving another crater upon the earth of Hell. Malicor screamed, arms bursting and falling away, nearly burned away completely. The demon lay their curling up like a dead insect, wheezing weakly as Imperius pulled away, gasping as a hand went down to clutch the gaping hole against his chest as he staggered back. 

All of Hell was silent as Imperus stood there, wavering on his feet, covered in the blood of demons and his own blood that flowed from the tears of his armor. It took only a thought to bring Solarion back to his hand as he stood over Malicor. The demon lay panting, its maw spread into a smile. The beast was blind, but laughed as it squirmed, unable to rise with both its legs now nothing but charred stumps. 

“I…I win.” It managed, “I win…! I M-Malicor…fist among hate’s disciples…..I win!” 

Its wheezes of victory were cut short by a savage press of Solarion into its throat. Imperius slumped forward, gripping the spear in one hand, the other pressed to his chest as if that would stop the bleeding of his essence yet it merely trickled out between fingers and spattered over Malicor’s corpse, panting the being in the bright white of angel blood. The demons around him were silent for a moment before they were howling in rage and surging in. Imperius whirled about, pain blinding him but his gaze was fixed on his escape, the hole opened up in the rock face to reveal the tunnel again. 

On the other side, Tevar and Aladria were expecting him. He promised he would not die. Inarius was there and would need attending to after so long imprisoned. Not to mention he would be damned if he would die before Tyrael would at the hands of such petty demons. He just had to last a moment longer.

Demon claws raked at his wings as he forced himself into a run and then to flight, barely getting above the clawing fiends both hands moving to grasp Solarion. Through the pain, he concentrated, focusing on that dark, stinking hole that lead to freedom, form already heading up to teleport. 

He almost made it. Then Rakanoth was there, appearing in a surge of green light, blades raised to strike and a roar echoing from his maw. Imperius saw the blades falling and he felt no fear. Only anger, only a surging burning rage, and defiance against all fate that seemed content on conspiring that his life end here. A roar of challenge ripped from Imperius and he surged forward, just below the blades and tackled into Rakanoth, sending them both flying back into the tunnel. Unlike Malicor, the lord of despair did not have hands to grapple, although he twisted to slam the flat of his blades down to try and crush Imperius against him. 

The archangel of valor reached out, through the tunnel, his form heating up as the fiends of Hell came charging after them. His grip tightened on Rakanoth, still screaming his rage as he finally managed to vanish, taking the lord of despair with him. 

The heat of hell gave way to the cooler air of Sanctuary as the two crashed into the ground outside of the tunnels, hitting blackened earth and sending up clouds of ash. The broken skeletons of vehicles crunched under the two as they struggled against the ground and disturbed bones were ground to dust. Rakanoth was heavy, able to use his weight to pin Imperius against the earth and it took all of the archangel’s remaining strength just to put Solarion up and keep the gnashing maw away from his being. 

Yet Imperius’s mind wasn’t on the fight. 

Solarion was still grasped tightly as he pushed against the jaws of the lord of despair. Through it, he let out his wailing call to the arch and felt its answering resonance as the gates of Heaven unlocked, calling him forth to it once more. His entire form began to heat up again as he latched onto that song. Rakanoth cursed and snarled, teeth coming so dangerously close to Imperius’s wings as he struggled to keep his hold on the archangel. 

In another flash they were gone. Smoke and ash was replaced by blinding light and open air as the two combatants fell through Heaven. The demon roared, flailing. Imperius could barely keep focused, the pain was blinding, but his rage and desire for victory burned hot in his chest. A final push of strength allowed him freedom from the sloppy grip of the lord of despair and he turned, one hand gripping onto Rakanoth’s shoulder as his wings flared and he pushed downwards forcing them to collide into one of the spires of Heaven. They hit the structure hard and it gave way with a thunderous crack as they tore through, slamming through a balcony before crashing against the floor of the garden of hope. The impact sent fragments of the flooring flying and a few of the plants nearby cracked and toppled under the shockwave.The demon wheezed, mouth falling open as the impact knocked him senseless blood trickling out over the floor. 

Imperius staggered back, barely able to stand as he looked over Rakanoth before bringing the butt of his spear up and brought it down savagely upon the cranium of the demon. The might lord spasmed before going limp, huge limbs slamming down. The chest of the demon still rose and fell, but Imperius had not the strength to keep on his own feet. 

His resonance was burning and he staggered back, collapsing against a pillar. Solarion fell from his hand as he felt his strength finally wane. He panted as if he need to draw breath, feeling like something crushed against his chest still and dug deep into his very core. A hand rose again to touch the savage wound in his chest and the wash of energy and blood that dripped from it. For a mortal, it would have been fatal, but angels did not have organs, no hearts to crush. Death was a complete destruction of their resonance and despite the savage wound, Imperius’s own still sang, although its tenor was shrill with alarm.

The claws of the demon had come very close to silencing the song of his being. Very close. 

“Imperius!”

He managed to lift his head as he saw Tyrael touch down, letting go of the nephelem even as he ran forward. The archangel of valor felt a surge of dislike for the angel rise up and doubled over as it caused the burning in his resonance to only increase and twist further. He legs buckled as he started to fall forward only for Tyrael to quickly catch him and try to stabilize him on his feet.

“Imperius, you-“

“Get your hand off me!” 

The archangel of valor pulled away from the other archangel, bracing himself with one hand against a pillar, the other hand clutching his chest, “I am…fine! I will recover….! The demon…deal with Rakanoth!”

Tyrael looked over to the unconscious demon and then back to Imperius, “How-“

“Bind him before he wakes! We can….answers…get answers…!”

Tevar and Aladria had rushed over then, the former approaching wide-eyed and trembling, “Oh fuck..shit…Imperius! You are…angels can bleed….!? How do…how do we make it stop!? Do I get a welder? A blacksmith hammer!?”

 

“Calm yourself….!” Imperius hissed, feeling like his entire consciousness was swimming and making it hard to focus. The burning was only increasing and felt like it was trying to spread to every inch of his being as his resonance wailed and surged more, causing his armor to heat up without the usual emotional trigger.

“Imperius, don’t die, please! Just calm down!” Aladria said, trying to place a comforting hand upon him.

“All of you stop …the demon! Bind the bloody demon!” He practically roared staggering back away from the pillar, nearly falling over as his wings osculated unnaturally, a clear sign of distress and of heighted energy in response to grievous wounds. 

Tyrael looked between Rakanoth and Imperius as Inarius landed beside the two, wavering as well as he slowly looked about at the spires of Heaven around them. His own torn wings were starting to flare and dim as well, indicating his own heighten state of stress no doubt from the shock of being free of Hell and standing once more in Heaven after so long. His plight though was going unheaded by the already panicked archangel of justice. Tyrael’s wings were flared wide and spread out, lashing about vigoriously as he was torn between aid of Imperius or the dangerous demon lord that needed binding before he regained his senses. Quickly he turned towards Inarius reaching to grasp for his brother’s shoulder.

“Inarius, I know I am asking much but can you-“ Tyrael began to speak only to be interrupted by a loud thunk. 

Inarius had collapsed, laying prone against the ground, his wings a weak sputter of life and his entire form twitching and writhing as if his very soul was trying to remain in tack and flee his armor all at once. Aladria gasped, rushing to the fallen angel, looking up at Tyrael with wide eyes, “Is he…is he dead!?”

“No just….just the shock…he’s passed out is all. His resonance overloaded with energy and withdrawn to just…just maintain form.” Tyrael stammered. “He is …he is fine just needs…needs rest.” 

Imperius could feel himself slipping even as he clutched at the pillar. His resonance was screaming, twisting in on itself and all he felt was pain. His energy was building up, surging from his every wound, twisted with a feeling he hadn’t felt in ages. Mortals might say it was feeling queasy or sick. It was a holy unpleasant feeling that seemed to be building up within him, ready to burst. A final, sudden surge of energy finally had Imperius dropping to his hands and knees with a loud thud, trembling. 

Tevar was at his side, clutching onto his shoulder, “Hey now big guy just-“

The energy finally burst and the archangel shuddered as from his helmet, a gush of sudden white slimy energy was vomited up, molted around the edges like his own fiery wings, most of it splattering all over Tevar’s boots. He heard the cries of alarm from the two mortals, the sheer panic in their voices as he slipped forward hitting the ground as all power left his limbs. His entire form twitched and he didn’t’ even feel in control of his own body. He could hear the muffled voice of Tyrael trying to calm everyone down and just wanted to scream at them all to heed his command and deal with Rakanoth first. The only sound that escaped him was a gurgled hiss and another spattering of fluid as his resonance tried to expunge whatever was burning up his core. Everyone radiated hot agony and the void that had been left from the reveal of his betrayal felt filled with something now, something hot and clawing, fueling his anger as he started to shake more, feeling his consciences starting to fade and the world grow more distant.

The unwelcomed reprieve of unconsciousness finally swallowed him, plunging his world into darkness, hearing briefly the wail of his name on the lips of his comrades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone who commented! Special shout out this time to Oyee who runs the blog http://asktheangiriscouncil.tumblr.com/ also they got a sweet aft art blog here u 3 u http://oyeedraw.tumblr.com/
> 
> I am sorry I made Ira cry ; w ;
> 
> .....but hopefully this chapter made up for it in terms of pure adrenaline burning action XD;


	12. The Burden of Choice

The jolt back to conciseness was always an abrupt and unpleasant feeling.

One minute, the world was swimming in blackness, the next Imperius found himself sitting up with curses already about to be shouted and a hand reaching for his weapon. It never felt like time had passed and he looked wildly about for a second before relaxing, realizing he was no longer in the gardens and that there was no demon lord needing sealing. There was only light here and the gentle breeze of Heaven. 

He heaved a sigh, slumping back against the daise he had be lying on, grumbling softly as his body seemed to protest any sort of movement. He felt unbelievably stiff and it took some effort just to raise a hand to slide over his breast plate, trying to see if there was any indication of the savage wound. His fingers felt no holes or tears, an indication his form had healed, although he still felt peculiar.

There was a dull thrum to his resonance that didn’t seem to fit that seemed to murmur off rythme to the rest of his soul. Where once there was an aching emptiness from before, now there seemed a pressure that was a tad bit uncomfortable. Imperius growled lightly slowly moving to sit up, propping himself up more against the wall beside the daise as he took in the room, slowly starting to roll his shoulders and clench and unclench his fists in an effort to start working out the stiffness of his form.

He recognized the chambers as Auriel’s own, back when Heaven still had the light of her hope. It was a far more open area than most chambers of the High Heavens with more balconies and twining plants that crept up and along the walls with a gentle glow. There were glass containers here that covered more wild and dangerous species she had kept for fun, although those poor specimens had not fared well without her attention, all of them shriveled in their pots. 

The place was untidy and he was not sure if that was how it had been before or if that was a result of him being dragged into the place no doubt and attended to while he lay in consciousness. Imperius glanced down over his form as he continued to slowly stretch out limbs, bending up a knee as he leaned forward to grasp at one foot, wings aching as they unfurled again, slowly growling larger as he stretched them out. 

Someone it seemed had taken it upon themselves to clean off his armor as he saw no remnants of blood or gore upon him, nor traces of his own glowing essence. He must have been out for at least a day or two if they had time enough for that monumental task, especially given how much gore he had been covered in.

The archangel grunted as he sat up, hands pressing to the small of his back as he leaned backwards some, feeling the familiar cracks and pops that came with stretching. It was getting easier to roll his shoulders and get movement and slowly, he swung his legs to the side of the daise, only pausing to lean forward, lacing his fingers together and stretching them out towards his body as his wings pulled back, stretching wide again.

Imperius always hated waking up from a battle after serious injury. It always felt like it took too long get his from to feel like he wasn’t being slowly consumed by a freezing spell.

The archangel glanced up, pausing in his stretches as the door creaked open and Tevar came through, the man jumping and nearly dropping his phone when he spooked Imperius. His eyes widened as he pulled something from his ear that was attached by some screen and quickly moved over to Imperius.

“Holy shit! You’re awake!”

“Yes…I’ve regained consciousness.” Imperius drawled, although grunting some as he rolled is shoulders, “I see you are as mmm….astute as ever, Tevar.”

“Hey, you’ve been out for so long, let me have my surprise.” Tevar huffed, although the relief was clear in his expression, “I was starting to worry you were in a coma or something!” 

That caused the archangel to incline his head to the side, wings flaring out in concern, “How long have I been unconscious?”

“Three weeks at this point. Nearly four.” He paused shifting from foot to foot, “You were in…really bad shape and with Inarius passed out well, Tyrael was trying to get both of you to a place to rest while also dealing with that friend of yours you brought home. It’s been a crazy three weeks, let me tell you what…”

Imperius tensed a bit, although he nodded, “So then, is Rakanoth bound?”

“Yes yes. He’s bound up, cursing us out and being a terrible rude house guest.” Tevar said with a wave of his hand. “We have tried to get some answers out of him, but all he does is either keep quit or insult us. We’ve taken to eating lunch in front of him. For some reason that seems to get him angry. Our strategy is currently get him angry enough to just yell some information at us unwittingly…” 

The mortal paused before glancing up at Imperius, smiling, “But I’m just glad you are okay. It was…scary having you vomit angel paste all over my boots and then go unconscious, twitching like someone electrocuted you for days afterwards. It seemed to take ages for those holes in you to close up. I kept myself busy though…cleaning you off. I hope you don’t mind?”

“It’s fine, thank you.”

Tevar brightened some, chuckling, “Let me tell you what though, I went through like four different brands of cleaners and gallons of the stuff to get your armors clean. Then of course the hours of polishing to follow. Aladria helped of course, but I was the M. Clean Machine slayer of dirt.”

Imperius gave a distracted nod, one hand rising to rub over his chest again as he felt a small ripple of that uncomfortable feeling again, “Mmmhmm.… and you said Inarius is well?”

“Generally speaking? I don’t know if he is right in the head. Guy is equal parts twitchy and clingy. Won’t go anywhere that Tyrael isn’t but at the same time sits like…as far as he can away in the same room.” He apused, grimacing a bit, “Not to mention he’s got a sassy mouth. Everything he says is either barely concealed sarcasm and like he is not so secretly judging you for everything. I’m givng him the benefit of the doubt because of the trauma he’s probably been through but…starting to think he is like that.”

He paused, giving a shake of his head, “Tyrael claims he isn’t that bad, but even he’s starting to get snippy with Inarius running his mouth at times.”

“And Aladria?”

“In the library being a book nerd and researching to pass the time. She keeps herself entertained. Sometimes I help by asking her about things to look up and read to me. Everyone is doing fine.” He reported. 

Imperius nodded, wings flickering before he tentatively trise to his feet. He wavered for a moment before getting his bearings, looking down to regard Tevar, “Where is Rakanoth being housed?”

“More or less where you left him. We couldn’t really move him. Tyrael is strong and all, but that one seems to weigh a few tons. Really though, he’s bound. You don’t have to get up and about if you aren’t feeling up to it,” Tevar assured him, resting a hand on his arm. “You take all the time you need.” 

“We do not have that luxury of time and after three weeks,” Imperius shook his head, starting to take a few slow steps forward, “I’d rather not keep off my feet for a moment longer.” 

Tevar sighed, shaking his head, but smiled nonetheless, “Stubborn as always I see. By the by, you are going to tell us what happened down there in Hell after you made the nuclear impact and we took off?”

Imperius tilted his head as he began to set a slow pace, pausing now and then to stretched, armor creaking as it loosened a bit more, “It was a battle against demons. There is not must to say.”

“Oh come on! You showed up half dead, a hole in your chest and your armor turned into swiss cheese and you say nothing happened?” Tevar huffed. 

“It was a difficult battle then.” Imperius drawled, starting to pick up his pace a bit. “But a battle all the same.” 

Tevar let out another sigh, shaking his head as he moved to trot alongside the archangel, “You’re no fun. I would think you the type to brag about his prowess in battle.”

Imperius snorted in response, “I am the archangel of valor, not the archangel of pride. I do not need to speak of my prowess.”

He was feeling surer in his steps now and the movement was helping to loosen the stiffness of his form, although he continued to roll his shoulders some, wings fluttering. Tevar tilted his head, reaching out to flick at one of the tendrils. “Seems your wings are back to being firey little worms.”

“My mood has improved I supposed.” Imperius said, “Although my resonance still feels…unsettled.”

“Maybe still recovering? They say internal trauma sometimes takes a bit of time to settle.” Tevar suggested.

“Perhaps.” He murmured, bringing a hand up to absently rub at his chest again.

It was not hard to find where Tyrael and Rakanoth were, especially with the latter’s evil being a black beacon within Heaven’s splendor. Not to mention the racket that Rakanoth was raising with his snarls, half-hearted roars, and deluge of curses being flung about. Imperius stepped out into the open atrium where he had landed, idly taking in the rubble from the destroyed spire before he looked to where Rakanoth lay bound, belly-down, to the floor. 

The bindings were tight and anchored tightly to the ground which prevented the lord of despair from moving too much. The most the demon could muster was a little bit of wiggling and squirming. A few bands of light were wrapped about his jaw, preventing him from opening it wide enough to let out a blast of energy, but if any fool were to draw too close, he could still managed a bit of a bite. Currently he was thrashing and cursing, eyes fixed on his jailkeeper who sat across the way. Tyrael was relaxed, lounging some as he rested one hand on the pommel of El’druin. In his other hand though, he held a strange mortal food that seemed to be comprised of two slices of bread with meat, cheese, and vegetables stuffed in between. The angel was “eating” the mortal food, acting as if each bite was the greatest experience of his life as Rakanoth hissed and snarled. 

“Mmm. Such a lovely mix of flavors!” 

Rakanoth only let out a hissing growl at each “bite” Tyrael took, shoulders hunching and straining as he tried to rise only to slide back down, “You wretched angel! You…you can’t even taste that!” 

“Oh I can. How can you know I do not?” Tyrael responded, “Oh the ham is most excellent with the cheddar cheese…and this mortal invention? Horseradish? Oh, it has a delightful bite! It is too bad you can’t have any.”

“I will slay you, wretched angel!” Rakanoth snarled, “When I am free, you will be the first I gut!”

“And it is terrible manners like that being why I won’t share.” 

The demon snarled more openly, struggling once more as Tyrael just casually continued to eat the sandwich, leaning back some. Imperius shook his head, and hard as he might try to deny it, there was a swell of amusement at the whole scene. It was a bittersweet reminder of how Tyrael, for all that he did to appear sophisticated and well-spoken, so verbose and serious, had a rather mischievous streak and always seemed to find a way to tease just about anyone. He had a sense of humor that was equal parts amusing as it was infuriating. 

So far, it seemed the strategy of getting Rakanoth upset was working, but the lord of despair, even in his anger, was still being careful about what he said or revealed. It was a testament to the will of the ancient demon. 

Imperius glanced about the room remembering that Tevar mentioned Inarius was never far from Tyrael. Rather quickly he was able to see the formerly imprisoned angel up on one of the balconies watching what was going on with a tilt of his head and an aggressive flare of his wings like he was just about ready to attack.The presence of the demon seemed to a point of stress for the newly freed angel, although he did not make any moves to take justice into his own hands for now. Inarius glanced up when Imperius looked his way and began to slink closer to where the archangel of valor was, although remained silent for now. 

The archangel of valor paid the movements of the former prisoner little mind, instead moving closer to where the demon lord and the archangel of justice were. Tyrael glanced up, wings lifting in a sign of greeting as he rose to his feet. 

“Imperius! Thank the arch…I thought we had nearly lost you!”

Dislike twisted in Imperius’s chest, but he returned the greeting with a slight grunt, “I’m fine.” He glanced towards where Rakanoth lay, “Has he said anything useful?”

Tyrael’s wings dipped a bit and he was quiet for a moment at the dismissive tinge to Imperius’s voice. Still he shook his head, letting out a soft sigh, “No. Only the usual threats.”

“If you think I will speak and betray the plans of my lord, you are truly more stupid than first thought!” Rakanoth snarled. “I will be free soon and you will all know despair.”

“Save your breath demon. None of your kind would come to your aid, let along plan a rescue,” Imperius sneered, “and I can guess who your lord is from what your brash little friend was babbling about. Would I be correct in saying you serve Mephisto and he is still alive?” 

Rakanoth remained silent, teeth bared in an open snarled and his hackles raised. The lack of response spoke volumes though of the truth. The archangel of valor merely tilted his head, chuckling softly, “I thought as much.”

“You know nothing. None of you do!” Rakanoth roared, “You do not know who I serve!”

“Can we just kill him?” Inarius murmured, peering from around Imperius, his entire form taunt, “His wretched kind deserve to be expunged from existence.”

“A very different tune from what you would have said in the past.” Imperius drawled, glancing at Inarius. “Are you sure you are not in love with this demon too and wish to bed him?” 

“Spare me the sarcasm, Imperius. I have gotten a very…in depth feel for demon kind. I would rather them all killed and would rather burn off my own essence than be touched by one.” INarius growled. 

Tevar huffed a bit, shaking his head at the conversation as he drew a bit closer to Rakanoth, nudging the demon’s nearest limb with his foot, “So, if I may ask, why are we keeping him alive?” 

“That is the question though….what is in your head, Imperius?” Inarius drawled, his tone more than a bit snide. 

“What is in my head?” Imperius growled, “That this beast was slain and banished to the void and should not have returned. That somehow he was made whole again and that is concerning.” He leaned in some, eying the demon lord, having no fear of the low snarls that escaped the demon, “And I want to know how and I know why Hell hasn’t simply wiped out humanity.”

“It is concerning.” Tyrael murmured, “But he isn’t talking.”

“I have ways of getting him to speak.”

Tevar shivered, shaking his head, “Oh, if that didn’t sound decidedly sinister…”

Tyrael tensed, wings going still, “…I really do not think we need to drop to their level and invoke methods of torture.”

“I am not speaking of torture.” Imperius paused for a moment, “Well, not the traditional forms of torture.” 

He could feel everyone looking at him and the confusion pouring off both Tyrael and Inarius. Tevar just arched an eyebrow, lips pursed, “So….you going to tell us or leave us in breathless silence?”

“Wait here. All of you. I will be back shortly.” 

Imperius gave them no explanation, not yet. Instead he teleported from the gardens, rapidly jumping until he reached the outermost lands of Heaven that fell in the eternal twilight, where the light of the arch barely reached. Unlike most of Heaven the pools of wisdom were not filled with light and lingered in an eternal twilight most of the time and was the only place in Heaven where a true night fell for a time. The air was colder here with a peculiar fog that seemed to hug the ground making the air damp. Spots of glowing lichen and mushrooms clung to the craigs and thick brushes of more aqutic plants hug the dismal shores of now muddy pools that once glowed with power. 

It seemed the pools of wisdom had all but tried up leaving little behind and the land had all but died though. Everything was dry and cracked except in the few areas some water still trickled in. Here the decay of Heaven was the worse and the destruction more apparent. Most of the spires of wisdom had been ransacked and gutted, left broken in and much of the carvings and statues defaced. After Malthael’s demise, the council had granted permission to the nephelem to comb through the place with the Horadrim to ensure all traces of his twisted plans were removed. 

Imperius had been against it, of course, but he had been out voted and the destruction allowed. Most of the buildings still bore the signs of fire damage where some vengeful Horadrim had attempted to burn parts of it down, but the ancient rock had not lent itself to kindle easily. It wasn’t just the mortals though who had gutted the place. Angry angels had been through and had left vicious graffiti in places along the wall and ruins throwing some of the more hateful and derogatory terms of Heaven about in regards to the angels of wisdom. The few who had still lingered in the lands, having remained loyal to Heaven over their mad master, had been driven out of the halls rather forcefully and left without a place in Heaven.

A few lingered in the archives tucked away into corners away from prying eyes to quietly grieve the loss of not only their kin, but of their home. Most though were found the weeks to follow, slain by their own hands, curled up in little traversed corners of Heaven. 

All that was left of the place was now these ruins that seemed so out of place in a dead land, devoid of any wisdom for which it was once the fount of.

Imperius turned away from the broken lands, his resonance heavy, and began to head towards the heart of the pools of wisdom where Malthael’s inner sanctum once sat. He had to say once as half the building was destroyed. Every part of Malthael’s life had been picked apart and strew about. Every scroll and book he had, even his personal effects, chairs, daises, and tapestries had been thrown about and torn down just to make sure every inch was inspected. 

Imperius made his way through the mess feeling a swell of anger once more on his soul. All of this could have been done more carefully and with more respect to the fallen, but after Malthael’s defeat, all the council worried about was appeasement to the mortals. They made it seem as if Heaven had not suffered at the hands of Malthael’s madness and as far as Imperius was concerned, if reparations had to be made, there were better ways to do so than gut a part of their heritage, a place built initially as a refuge, to appease the nephelem. He passed by each gutted room quietly though, carefully making sure not to step upon anything on the floor and even at times pausing to right a chair or angrily scratch out one of the more hateful pieces of graffiti on the wall. 

Malthael may have been mad and his death was a necessary thing, but he did not deserve to be disgraced like this.

He eventually found his way into Malthael’s study, glancing about the room before letting out a soft sigh of relief. Amid all the destruction, a carving within Malthael’s study remained untouch. It was nothing too alarming, simply art of Magtherius and Malthael sitting together pouring over some scroll. A few candles sat melted and unlit on a stand before it. 

At the very least it seemed, someone had made mention to the mortals not to desecrate a shrine of remembrance in their mad raid of Malthael’s abode. However,Imperius knew that the shrine was more than just some carving to honor the passing of a beloved mentor. 

Like most things with Malthael, it hid its own secrets. 

Imperius approached the shrine and carefully began to press along the edges gently he found the latch and carefully he pulled the slab down and set it aside to reveal the shelves behind. 

Imperius only knew about the cache as he has seen Malthael access it in front of him once or twice when they were much younger. That had been back before either of them had been archangels, but even then, Malthael had always been a private sort. How he presented himself in the eyes of the public was very different than who he was with the very few he let close to him. Looking upon the trove behind the carving filled Imperius with a surge of bittersweet memories.

Nothing stored here was of any ground-breaking importance, no artifacts of power. All the value it had was personal. Here were scrolls, old with age and covered with notes from the archangel of widsom’s days of study. More than a few stacks of personal writings and notes and a few poor attempts at drawing he had done on the days his mind was wont to wander. Imperius remembered fondly how Malthael had used to slip him answers during angelic studies when the instructor’s back was turned and share conspiratorial notes of gossip between each other and Itherael. Of course, the poor archangel of fate was the one who was always caught with said notes as he never could reign in his laughter and always snorted rather loudly when he got a strong fit of giggles.

A sense of sadness weighed heavily upon his resonance at those care-free memories as his eyes fell over the various trinkets Malthael had preserved over the many years he had lived. All of these personal little knickknacks, tiny little treasures that had hidden away as if the archangel of wisdom tried to hide that he had once had any connection, any past before he became the first of his kind to be named an archangel. 

But Imperius was not here to reminisce about happier times. There was one hidden treasure in particular that he was seeking. 

He gently shuffled some of the papers aside to reveal a small, iridescent crystal that had been carved into the rearing figure of a unicorn. Gently, he lifted the crystal pendant by the silk ribbon it was attached to and let it dangle in the low light. It was still beautifully carved and a small card had been carefully attached on the ribbon with Auriel’s name written in neat yet elaborate caligraphy. Imperius let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head as he opened the tiny card and read the neat handwriting within, feeling the pang of nostalgia.

I cannot match your notes, your song  
I cannot sing as others do, but for you  
I make this gift, the expression of my soul  
Of the happiness your company has always brought  
That I do not have the capacity to ever express

With deepest affections,  
Malthael

Imperius let out a humorless chuckle. He had known of Malthael’s fancies growing up. The moment Auriel had been introduced, he had been wing-tied although he hid it under that cold façade of control he always wore. It was almost sad how long he had carried that spark of affection and he wondered if things would have turned out differently if he had confessed. 

Maybe he wouldn’t have gone mad if he had someone there other than the isolation Malthael so aggressively wrapped about himself as the ages had moved on. 

The archangel of valor sighed, feeling a touch morose as he focused back to the gardens, vanishing once more with his prize in hand. 

As he reappeared, he was greeted by a roaring demon that was thrashing about, spitting curses, causing him to jump, wings flared as if ready to fight before he relaxed, sighing as he noticed Tevar was cackling and put two and two together. 

“Do I want to know what you said to him?” Imperius drawled.

“It is far too naughty and risqué to bear repeating for thine tender ears, Imperius.” Tevar said with a grin and a wink.

“….something about compensation.” The familiar voice of Aladria murmured from where she now sat beside Tyrael, a book open in her lap, “It was stupid. I’m pretty sure we’ve all become stupider by hearing him say that out loud.”

“I have not heard such comments about a demons genitalia since Shen got drunk and regaled us with wild stories of his youth…” Tyrael murmured softly. 

Inarius chuckled, “Well, Tevar is correct in what he said, that I will speak for…”

Tyrael looked over at his brother, “I did not need that addition to this conversation, brother.”

“Only here to cause you to internally cringe, my dearest sibling,” Inarius cooed as he lounged out on a bench, sunning himself. 

Imperius stared at all of them a bit before he shook his head and held up the pendant, “I found what I was looking for.”

All eyes turned curiously to the pendant although, at the sight of the pendant, Inarius let out a low groan, covering his face with one hand, “You can’t be serious Imperius…. That awful world?”

“What? What’s so bad about whatever the kiddy charm does?” Tevar asked.

“It’s not a charm.” Imperius growled, “It is a portal medium.”

“It I the biggest waste of the worldstone’s power is what it is.” Inarius snapped, “I thought he destroyed it when he lost the nerve to give it to Auriel! I would have! It is probably the most embarrassing thing in all of creation!” 

“More embarrassing than that time you tried to seduce-“

“Tyrael, finish that sentence and I disown you as a brother and strangle you with your own wings.”

Tyrael tilted his head, “…I’m sorry, but…what are you talking about?”

Inarius let out a long-suffering sigh gesturing to the pendant as if it had done something to personally offend him, “That, thing leads to the world Malthael made when experimenting with the worldstone. It was a complete waste of power, but it was what had me realizing that you could use it to create worlds in the first place… honestly, it was the corniest little project he ever devised in his hopeless courtship.”

“Wait, he was courting Auriel?” Tyrael asked wings flicking out, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because he wasn’t. He was pinning. He never actually made a move towards courtship.” Inarius drawled, “And it was a waste of both of our times to pass that gossip on.”

“Imperius knows though.”

“Malthael told me.” Imperius grumbled, “He tried to get me to give it to Auriel and I told him to do it himself.”

Tevar arched an eyebrow, “…now if this isn’t some high school gossip girls…” 

“That is all beside the point!” Imperius waved a hand, “For Auriel or not, it is a world we can throw Rakanoth in for a while and have him out of our wings until he feels so inclined as to answer our questions.” 

“I thought you said you were against torture Imperius.” Inarius drawled.

Imperius chuckled darkly as he activated the pendant, the air shimmering before a rainbow portal began to form, “I said only certain forms of torture.”

Tevar squinted, eyeing the bright, colorful portal, reaching out to touch the shimmering surface, “…that is…one happy looking portal. Like something you conjure when you are high on drugs.”

Aladria titled her head curiously, “Honestly looks and feels rather pleasant.” 

Imperius tucked the pendant away before going to where Rakanoth lay, giving a brief nod to Tyrael as he reached down to take one of the demon’s heavy, bladed limbs in hand. The archangel of justice was quick to take hold of the other and together, they started to drag the bound demon forward towards the portal. Inarius shook his head, arms crossed over his chest, “At least this pathetic world will get some use out of it…”

“What could be so bad?” Tevar drawled as he followed the two archangel dragging the cursing demon between them.

“Just step through and see for yourself.” 

Aladria just looked between Inarius and Tevar and gave a shrug before stepping through the portal just as Impeirus, Tyrael, and their captive vanished from sight through it. 

The land beyond was something out of a child’s dream in many ways. There were bright colors everywhere and the air was pleasantly warm and filled with a smattering of sparkles. All the colors seemed far too bright to be natural though and was made by someone who perhaps wasn’t the most gifted with matching pleasing colors together. 

Rakanoth’s curses instantly stopped as he took in the realm and Imperius moved to settle him back down, already working to place tighter bindings. The demon squirmed all the while, snarling, tense with apprehension as he looked about. 

“What is this foul place?”

“Your new home.” Imperius responded dismissively.

“Okay yeah. I’ve just fucking walked in on an interdimensional drug trip for sure.” 

Tyrael chuckled some, glancing over to Tevar as he entered, the man gawking at the happy, vibrant landscape about them. “At least it isn’t a threatening place yes?”

“No, but something about all the cheer is a bit disconcerning,” Tevar murmured as he moved poke one of the nearby clouds which giggled before spilling out a plethora of god at his feet, causing him to jump.

Aladria looked about wide-eyed, a touch of a smile gracing her lips and already a spark was in her eyes, “What is this place called? Is it a part of Heaven?”

“Whimsydale… or Whimsyshire. Depending on which side of the world you are on.” Imperius said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “And no. Much like Sanctuary, this was a created world although...it is very small and the only energies that reside here are ones born of Heavenly origins.”

Rakanoth snarled, tensing as something giggled. From around the almost cartoonish trees, rounded bears peered at them before they began to toddle forward. Large pudgy unicorns began to meander in with living flowers flitting about their hooves as they all but pranced over. Aladria’s face lit up and she all but cooed as she approached one of the unicorns, holding out a hand to it. The creature sniffed the offered hand before happily nuzzling against it with gentle, cute, squeaky whinnies.

“Aww…this is actually rather cute!”

Tyrael looked about, wings lifted curiously as he moved to touch one of the bears, causing it to giggle and immediately latch onto him, “Very affectionate creatures it seems. I’m surprised Malthael made them.”

“Never underestimate the extremes a lovesick fool will go to…” Inarius drawled, “Especially a songless.”

That caused Tyrael to look sharply at his brother, wings tensing, “Inarius!”

Tevar blinked and shared a look with Aladria, but wisely did not repeat the word, especially when Imperius flared up as well, glowing a bit red, “Mind your tongue, Inarius. I do not care to hear such slurs against a former archangel.”

Inarius merely huffed but fell silent and made his way back through the portal with a distinctively sulky touch to his wings. Rakanoth only let out a sneer, shifting in his bindings, “Some unity your piss poor Heaven has now! You will all fall easily before my lord’s plans!”

“So…what. We leaving him here?” Tevar asked, looking to Imperius.

The archangel of valor nodded, crouching down so he was level with the bound fiend’s head, “Yes. He will remain here.” He reached out to mockingly pat the demon on the back. “These creatures absolutely love new company and will certainly treat you well.” 

Rakanoth snarled and bucked, trying to snap at the archangel with no luck. One of the bears giggled as it came forward, cooing as it placed a flower crown on the head of the lord of despair. Imperius chuckled as he rose to his feet, “See? You already made a friend.”

The demon struggle, snarling and snapping at the small creatures but they only responded with giggle and smiles, coming over to start nuzzling and hugging onto the hapless demon, “I swear to the prime evils Imperius! I will rip you apart for this! I will turn your essence into a choir of screams!”

“Turn that frown upside down Rakanoth.” Imperius drawled as he turned around to head to the portal. “I’ll see you in a week.”

Tevar glanced back as Rakanoth howled, practically covered now in the adorable creatures and shook his head, “Torture by hugs…I can’t believe I’m seeing that play out and it isn’t something ironic.” 

Tyrael gave a shrug, “I think it is more to keep him contained. Easier to plan our next move without having to divide up what little we have on guard duty.”

“Speaking of…what is our next move?” Aaladria asked, looking up at Imperius as they entered back into Heaven. “We have Inarius now so…”

Imperius paused, glancing down at the mortal and then up to the still achingly empty halls of Heaven. The only angel in sight was Inarius, lounged up on a bench, idly picking at the petals of a flower, practically shredding the plant in whatever stint of anger he was expressing. Without the rescue to enact, frankly he had no idea what step to take. 

“I am not sure.” He admitted. “I haven’t particular considered any further goals beyond rescuing Inarius nor do I feel inclined to pursue any.” 

“How about making more angels?” Tevar suggested. “Do that…uh…lightsong thing.”

“When did you learn about lightsong?” Imperius drawled.

The man pointed at Aladria, “I asked her and she looked it up in books. How to make baby angels or er, more angels and it said a lightsong and well…we got three angels, why not? She said you need a group.”

“Rough translation. I honestly couldn’t figure out more than it seemed to be a ceremony for creating more angels,” She said quickly.

Inairus paused in his shredding, his interest peaked at the topic of conversation. The former prisoner chuckled as he sat up, tossing the ripped flower aside, “Oh my. They must have read the mortal version of lightsong! Clearly did not seek out any of the more in-depth texts buried within the archives to suggest such a terrible lewd venture!”

“What? It says a group of angels….” Tevar murmured with a blush. “Three is a group of angels.”

Tyrael’s wings gave a small flutter as he rubbed the back of his head, “Yes well, a group of angels for a lightsong typically at the lowest end is…about twenty angels… then it is a group effort. Lower and it uh…” He paused sighing looking everywhere but at the two mortals, “How to phrase this…”

“Oh stop being coy. This mortal is no gentle virgin clearly!” Inarius drawled as he slipped off the bench to approach the group again, “To put it simple mortal, when two angels share a lightsong, it is the equivalent of having very intimate sex. Suggesting three angels do so, you might as well just suggested a threeway intercourse between us.”

Aladria’s face went scarlet and she hid her embarrassment behind one hand as Tevar sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, “Oh…well…didn’t know that.”

“And also, I may be more open to intimacy, but I will have to pass on such a thing with my brother.” INarius added with a chuckle, “He may be, as you mortals call it, a darling virgin, but it is far too strange to do such lewd joinings with one’s own kin, although I agree that he should have someone soil his resonance at this point.”

“Inarius!” 

Inarius laughed, quickly darting off as Tyrael swatted at him, his armor taking a blueish tinge of heat as embarrassing rose up. The former prisoner only gave a flutter of his wings and made a gesture as if to blow a kiss towards his brother, “I only say so because I care Tyrael. You already died untouched. To do so again, we will be calling you the archangel of chastity!”

This time Tyrael did not respond with words, merely darting over to tackle his sibling. Soon the two were tossling about as siblings were wont to do, flinging curses and squabbling, wings all flared up. Aladria jumped, looking to Imperius who just shook his head in response and let out a sigh. 

Tevar merely chuckled a bit, glancing to the archangel of valor and arching an eyebrow, “So if Tyrael is out, what about Inarius?”

Imperius shuddered, “I’d rather not….”

“What? Afraid of demonic sloppy seconds?” Tevar asked with a wide grin.

“Sloppy…what are you even talking about?” Imperius snapped.

“Well, when a person has-Ow!” Tevar huffed, looking over at Aladria as she glowered as him, retracting the elbow she had dug into his side, “What was that for?”

“No. We are not even going there.” She growled.

By then, Tyrael and INarius’s struggled had finished with the former grumbling, flat on his face and Tyrael sitting on him pinning him down for a few moments before moving and letting the other up. Inarius huffed and brushed himself trying to appear dignified while Tyrael practically glowed with the victory, wings spread out as if he was preening.

“You still can’t best me, brother.”

“Aye, still seems you got all of our sire’s brute strength, but none of his intelligence.”

“So you say.” 

Aladria chuckled and shook her head, although her interest was peaked. The glint in her eye as she turned towards him told Imperius that well enough, “But that is interesting that there are different forms of lightsong. I didn’t come across it in my research that two angels were capable of it.”

“It is a sign of commitment between two angels, much like what you mortals call…weddings. Although the goal is to try and create an angel which holds notes of both resonances,” Imperius explained, “Those angels born of a duet are often raised by their sires together as a family unit within Heaven.”

Aladria nodded, rubbing her chin, “So does that affect appearance? The lightsong differences I mean.”

“More or less,” Tyrael said, gesturing to Inarius, “Myself and Inarius were formed of the essence of a single angel and we’ve been told we look somewhat like our sire.”

“No, they say I look like him and you are a passing resemblance,” Inarius corrected, “And typically those conceived of a duet or of a reborn essence resemble their sire or sires. The more unique variations tend to come from lightsongs where many different ones meld together and even then, they tend to grow more into their looks and are very different from birth to adulthood.” The former prisoner gestured to Imperius, “He is born of one of those lightsongs if I recall correctly.” 

Imperius nodded as he crossed his arms, “My appearance was…very nebulous for a long time.”

“Rumor says he was small as a fledgling and was lost in his robes.” Inarius drawled, “And he had the tiniest, shyest pair of wings. Or at least, that is what Auriel always said.”

“Auriel does not remember it well.” Imperius snapped, “I was bold the day I was created.”

Aladria chuckled, “I can’t imagine you like that at all.”

“Good because it was never like that!”

“So duets and splits look like their sires. A mesh of melded energy turns out like Imperius...what was that wisdom guy then? He seems a unique look to him if the book is anything to go by,” Tevar asked. 

All three angels grew quiet, although Inarius shook his head, shoulders tensing. Imperius considered the question. After a moment he sighed and began to speak, although he did so slowly, carefully choosing his words.

“He is born of….incomplete essence. Some angels would fall to demonic taint or be partially corrupted. Such a thing is… usually a death sentence even if it is partial. Still, those remnants return to the arch to be reborn. Usually such remnants disperse to form with others to form a whole resonance but at times-“

“At times the resonance clings to itself, holes and all, and the arch spits out an angel with a soul that cannot resonate with other angels ,” INarius drawled, “Thus they cannot feel other angels, often unable to perform and join in light songs, born with too many limbs or claws or other somewhat demonic traits. The songless. The no songs. The tainted voices, just to name a few ways his kind are referred to as. ” 

“Inarius….” Imperius growled, tensing up, “The slurs are unnecessary.”

“It is the best way to explain the concept to mortals,”Inarius returned with a shrug, “And it is true. Malthael could not resonate with other angels. Couldn’t really join in lightsongs, let along attempt a duet with one. He always was the demon in the choir, as they say.” 

Imperius felt his temper starting to rise at how dismissive Inarius spoke. True, the other angel had been rather uppity about his opinion in the past, but his time among the demons seemed to have made him more belligerent and blunt, having lost whatever tact he once employed. Aladria’s brow furrowed some as she crossed her arms, “…it sounds like a…sad thing.”

“It can be. In the past it was not uncommon for them to be…abandoned after their birth to wander halls and linger at the edges of society.” Tyrael said softly, “That changed of course after Malthael was named archangel and he started to gather them to him, forming their own flight, roosting in the pools of wisdom to enjoy the lower light and having a quieter home of their own.” 

Aladria shook her head, “So he took care of the others like him?”

“Until he went mad. Then he led them all to their demise save a few who were treated…poorly.” Imperius murmured, “Many of the old assumptions began to return into the whispers between angels despite my best intentions to quiet the dissonance.” 

“Assumptions?”

“The songless being born unhinged. Never right in the head. Prone to madness. Not the sort to trust with anything. It was why they were abandoned, most to die quickly from demon attacks as they often were living alone at the edges of Heaven in the ancient days,” INarius said with a shrug, “…but they were known for their power. As near to nephelem as you could get without merging demons and angels.”

“I see….I never knew. All records always said Wisdom was just the first born angel of the arch. The first among Heaven.”

“He was the first of his kind.” Imperius corrected, “The first of his kind to be granted the title of archangel and to rule Heaven as its premier archangel, as per Magtherius’s dying mandate. Of course there was a stir over the whole thing, but Maltahel always handled himself well in dealing with politics.”

Inarius snorted, “Handled himself well…he never should have been given it in the first place. Heaven started to go downhill after he started riling up the war with Hell and getting ambitious…”

Imperius let out a growl, wings flaring, “One more ill word, Inarius, and I swear I’ll throw you in with Rakanoth.”

That caused Inarius to quiet himself although he gave a dismissive huff, looking away. Aladria cleared her throat some, “So ah…only two of the council had familes then?”

“We all had families, just Itherael and Auriel had what mortals would consider a traditional family, “Tyrael explained. “We were all adopted into a flock. Maltahel had Magtherius, I and Inarius lived with a group of Valor angels and Imperius-“

“The most vicious warriors in all of Heaven in the day. The skysplitters of Heaven.” He declared proudly. “A thousand demons fell to their lances and thousands more fell at my own.”

“Heh, seems you are awful proud of that. Any of them still alive?”

That caused Imperius’s mood to dim just a bit as he gave a shake of his head, “No…of that family, I am the last one that still splits the sky.” He murmured, “But it is the nature of the eternal conflict. Almost all of us have suffered loss of family.”

“Wasn’t one of Auriel’s fathers still alive?”Tyrael asked, “I recall he served under you as a lieutenant for the longest time.”

“Ah yes....Ophirel…..he was a good commander until he retired to train fledglings. No longer was keen on the battles as much as spending time home as he grew older, “Imperius murmured. 

He remembered the angel well. He never was like Auriel in terms of build, as he had been more bulky and solid like most angels of valor were, but his eternal optimism seemed to have been passed to his offspring as well as the color of his resonance. Ophirel had always been a dependable, steadfast warrior and it was after his partner died, Auriel’s other father, that he decided to retire from battle to help train the fledglings more. Of course, Imperius would always tease Auriel that if she was misbehaving he would report her transgressions to Ophirel to which she had always huffed back about, but the teasing was always in good fun.

Imperius felt a sudden surge within his resonance though as his thoughts turned to how the angel had perish. A molten hot burst of anger began to edge upwards through his resonance, already starting to color the front of his armor a slight tinge of red as he gaze fell upon Tyrael again. 

“He died though, during Diablo’s attack. He barricaded the fledglings and defended the doorway until he was cut down by the armies of Hell. He saved many of our youngest angels with his sacrifice.” 

Tyrael tensed, looking away, “I….I didn’t know that. Auriel did not tell me he had fallen.”

“I suppose being mortal, you wouldn’t have been able to feel the raw ache in her resonance from the loss. You probably didn’t feel how all of Heaven surged with grief for all the lost loved ones.” Imperius snarled, wings starting to flare out, “You had no idea of the pain being endured by those you called kin, only worried about your Sanctuary and what the mortals hat lost. Names like Ophirel, Agneius, Horadel, Jesphel…. All of those lost to Diablo meant nothing to you.”

“They do mean something to me! I knew all of them! I grew up at their side! I shared in victories and defeats upon the battlefield with each of them!” Tyrael shouted back, his wings blazed out, “Do you think me incapable of feeling grief!? Remorse!?”

“You would grieve more for the mortals than you would your own kin! When you were to face judgement for your crimes, you fled! The courts of justice, filled with the voices of the slain, all blaming you for their deaths and you did not stand their judgement!” Imperius exploded, “You fled and convinced yourself they were wrong! That their anger was out of place! You did not even try to understand the song of grief that welled up! There was not a single angel untouched, not a single family left unbroken by what you allowed to be unleashed in Heaven!”

Tyrael stepped back, his wings pulling close and the tremble of his resonance, the raw hurt that was there only seemed to feed the riling broil in Imperius’s soul. The growing spite almost seemed to thrive on the pain his words were causing in Tyrael. He wanted to make him hurt. Wanted Tyrael to experience pain that was more than justified. After all he had done to harm him, was it not fair that it be paid back in equal share?   
“Imperius I-“

“You had a duty as an archangel of Heaven to defend our homeland against all threats. You took oaths. You were made to be justice itself and be the voice that carried with it the wrath of Heaven and you abandoned it! You abandoned everyone! For mortals! For being you didn’t know! You counted all of Sanctuary more important than every single angel you grew up with, fought beside and called kin!” He took a step closer, wings flared out aggressively like he was about to simply attack Tyrael as he pulled away, “The day you were born of the lightsong, all of Heaven was right to grieve the loss of Magtherius. You were a note of discord that was to be our end from the moment you drew breath.”

 

Tyrael was trying to retreat, his wings pulled tight to attempt to look smaller in some subconscious instinct to look as non-threatening as possible, not saying a word nor attempting to defend himself. Yet for every move to try and disengage, Imperius followed, riding the almost delirious high of trying to do as much harm as possible to Tyrael, finding a new strange delight in barbing every word with lethal force. No other angel was coming to Tyrael’s defense. Inarius watched the whole exchange silently, slowly tilting his head, but making no move to interrupt despite his own kin being the targeted for Imperius’s rage. It was hard to feel even what the former prisoner thought of all this, but it did not seem he opposed completely.

Of everyone there, it was Aladria who suddenly stepped forward, moving to press her hands against the archangel’ of valor’s chest, her own expression pained. 

“Imperius stop!”

The next swarm of hateful words died on Imperius’s tongue as he tensed. Her words washed over him like a cold wave of realization, although the writing burn within his soul felt a surge of discontent at her interruption. 

“Aladria don’t-“

“This isn’t like you.” She interrupted, shaking some, “I know you can be angry and you are upset. I know you don’t like him but… but this isn’t….this is just pure spite! No one deserve to be…”

Her voice cracked as she looked away, biting her lip, “…just stop. Stop being so hateful…”

There was nothing but silence then as he looked down at the mortal, feeling a sudden pang of guilt at having caused her to grow upset, although some other part of his resonance sneered that he shouldn’t care that some mortal of all things was distressed. Tyrael wasn’t looking at him and Tevar as well was glancing away, arms crossed with a disapproving frown on his face. Only Inarius really was staring at him and he felt a wave of unease in how it seemed the former prisoner of Mephisto was regarding him. 

A slow hissing sigh escaped Imperius as he raised a hand to put on top of Aladria’s back, glancing away, “…my apologies.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing too.” She murmured.

Imperius did not respond, tensing but just shook his head. To her he may apologize, for the distress it caused her, but towards Tyrael…

He still felt the other angel deserved every pang of guilt and hurt that was dripping off his resonance in a soft cry. 

“I really think we need to…I don’t know. Step away from Heaven and all this. Just do something fun and relax.” Tevar murmured, “I think we all are stressed and need a day of stupid to come back fresh. Get all that anger and shit out. Stop dwelling on every wrong of the past.”

“And I suppose, Tevar, you have an idea?” Inarius asked.

He gave a small shrug, “Well, there is a local farm show that comes around this time of year. Nothing huge and glamorous, but plenty of barely holding together rides, comfort food, shows, and farm animals. Just well….I don’t think there is anywhere you can show up wearing armor and robes and just fit in unless it is a renaissance fair.” 

“We don’t have to show up as we are.” Inarius drawled, “It is not that hard a trick to wear the illusion of a mortal for a short time. Do you honestly think I appeared as an angel to my mortal followers?”

As if to prove his point Inarius straightened up and his form began to shift. It wasn’t a transformation as much as it seemed a cascade down upon him, as if he had thrown on a blanket and it just happened to bear a mortal resemblance. The disguise was flawless, even having more modern clothes he no doubt copied from what he saw Tevar and Aladria wear. He appeared human but there was an uncanny beauty to him, a slight radiance that couldn’t be masked and a storm in his eyes that made it clear he was not human.

But for a passing day at the fair, it would work well enough. 

“It was not uncommon for angels to wear such disguises to pass on knowledge to humans. Sometimes even other disguises were used.” Inarius said, his mouth not quiet matching to the words he was forming, “Although, I’ll admit, I’m out of practice…”

“…I can see that brother. You aren’t matching your illusion’s mouth to the cadence of your words.” Tyrael murmured. 

“Oh? And you can do better?”

Tyrael paused before he gave a nod and straightened up some, wings pulling in tight before his own appearance changed. He was soon wearing clothes nearly identical to Inarius’s taking on the visage he had once had while being a true mortal, although again, there was a radiance that was a bit uncanny and his eyes bore more fire than they should, “I lived as a mortal, truly a mortal, for one lifetime. I believe I know how to appear as one well enough,” He drawled, perfectly syncing the movements of the illusion’s mouth to his own words. 

Inarius frowned, giving a huffy sniff, “Bald. Really brother? You could have hair and you chose bald.”

“I have my preferences. I don’t need to preen like a peacock as you like to do, Inarius.”

“In whatever form you take, dear brother, you continue to be nothing but an embarrassment of aesthetics.” Inarius grumbled. 

“Eh, I think he looks fine.” Tevar said, starting to smile more, “and honestly, with you two looking like that, we could pass you for humans for all sorts of fun shit! We’ll start small though with the fair. No need to throw you into the heart of human entertainment.”

Aladria smiled some chuckling at the delight in Tevar’s eyes, “I think this will be fun enough as something small to relax with. It, ah, has honestly been so long since I went to one. I haven’t a proper funnel cake in ages!”

“Funnel cake, popcorn, cotton candy, deep-fried oroes. Fuck, deep-fried everything!” Tevar said excitedly, “With all the calories we burned fighting in Hell, we can gorge ourselves!”

Tyrael chuckled softly, “I would like to see what food is like in this new age. No doubt it has evolved or at least I hope so. Some of the cuisines of the past ah, took a little much to stomach.”

“I’m more curious as to the dress of these new mortals. Seems so..plan.” Inarius murmured. “Too casual. For future disguises, I am hoping to be able to copy something more ah, to my tastes.”

“You’ll see a lot of crazy stuff, just you wait,” Tevar paused, glancing to Imperius, “So? You going to drop down a mortal disguise.”

The archangel of valor snorted, crossing his arms, “No.”

His response took a bit of the excitement away and Tevar blinked in surprise, “Why not? You want to come with us yes?”

“I’ll go with you, but I am not hiding myself under some mortal disguise.” He growled out, “I am not a mortal nor will I pretend to be one. I’ll hide my wings and that is it.”

“Imperius…you can’t…people don’t wear armor like that. They are going to stare and well…you are large…. And it isn’t like you look anything normal to a mortal.” Aladria began gently, “Maybe for just one day?”

“I said no.” He hissed. “You four can go and I’ll stand guard outside the premise so that no demons bother you in your…whatever you are going to do. Heaven knows, they will probably come sniffing around and interrupt your merrymaking.”

Tevar sighed, “Just when I think we are getting over the mortal hate with you, you take two steps back. Fine. You stand guard. We’ll get the food and fun.” He paused though to offer a slight smile, “Maybe we’ll win you some prize eh?”

“You don’t have to bother.” 

“Right. We’ll steal you a cow or something.” Tevar grinned giving a light punch to Imperius’s arm. “Just don’t get too grumpy standing in the parking lot alone.”

“I will be perfectly fine and will be more happy to slay some vile cretins than I would prancing around in the stink of a mortal crowd!” 

“I get it, I get it.” Tevar murmured with a sigh, “I mean… would be nice for us to do this together, but hey, always next time and maybe you’ll feel a bit more at ease then.”

Aladria gave a small nod, “Still, it is important to post a guard, so, I’m grateful for you doing that. As soon as we are done, we’ll come get you, okay?”

“Fine. Are we going or not?” Imperius grumbled, looking away. 

“I mean we don’t have to go-“

“We are going now then!” Imperius snapped, wings flaring. “I said we are going, so let’s go!”

“Just give me a few minutes to freshen up!” Aladria said hastily. 

“And I need to dig up some money and stuff.” Tevar said, starting to head off. “Play nice while we are gone!” 

Inarius watched the two go, folding his hands together as he looked between the two. None of them spoke, IMperius glaring off one way, still glowing a slight shade of orange and Tyrael looking anywhere but at Imperius. Eventually the silence seem to grate on INarius who cleared his throat loudly.

“Well, play nice she says. So,” he clasped his hands together, “What happened to Itherael and Auriel then? I know Malthael got put down like the mad beast he was but nothing about how the other two on the council met their ends.”

“We don’t know,” Imperius drawled, “I was sealed away and Tyrael there got himself killed.”

“Ah…. That is unfortunate but,” He chuckled, glancing to Tyrael, “I was locked in Hell and still managed to outlive you for one lifetime. Imagine that.”

“Not in the mood Inarius.” Tyrael murmured, looking away. 

“Just trying to make conversation. I would hate to have to stand here awkwardly between you two, knowing at any minute Imperius might go spewing hateful words like he was Mephisto himself.”

Imperius’s shoulders tensed and he turned to fix Inarius with a glare that radiate from his resonance, “I was completely justified. You were not here when Diablo nearly destroyed all of Heaven because of him.”

Inarius let out a hum, “If you say so, but I didn’t know justice was suddenly your domain.” 

Imperius felt a quiet ripple of discontent and irritation towards Inarius but for now held his temper in check, if just to not spoil the mood the two mortals seemed keen on creating. He was not looking towards this venture though. His soul was burning with dislike more acute than before and the thought of being around so many mortals. Just the thought of masquerading as one filled him with such an overwhelming feeling of disgust, he would rather go right back into Hell and throw himself into the waiting arms of its armies to cut another bloody swath through them then even attempt.

Just looking at Tyrael and Inarius wearing the guise of mortals, Tyrael in particular, had his entire being practically radiating with revulsion. 

Thankfully, Aladria and Tevar did not take long to return and soon they were off, swept away back to Sanctuary and this “fair” that the latter seemed so keen on going to. Truth be told, it wasn’t…visually unpleasant. The place was lit up with hundreds of lights even during the day and as it grew darker, it only looked more cheery and friendly like a beacon of good will among the dark of the night. There was a lot of mortal food and from his vantage point, Imperius could pick out the group of four going to practically every stall to buy up some new dish. He had to look away with a sound of disgust every time Tyrael started eating the food as if it did him some good or that he could even taste it properly, as if he was mortal once more. Nonetheless, they seemed to be having a good time and a part of Imperius felt the barest hint of regret for not going with them.

The colors and music were enticing and the curious machine that whirled and spun, where mortals screamed in delight at risking their lives and testing their courage upon them, peeked his interest. Some of the games set up were entertaining to watch, especially those requiring strength or more martial abilities like aim. Perhaps even would be enjoyable to try. Yet, all of that wonder was confounded by the shimmer of disgust at just how many mortals were crowded into the place together.

In the past there had been many true, but in this fair alone, there was more than double the amount that used to thrive in any one village. They thronged about, loud and noisy, some frightfully thin and others still seemed to be spilling out of their own skin as grotesquely as one of the seraphs of wisdom. He could sense the greed and ill intent that radiate from some within, and even as he stalked just out of sight at the forest’s perimeter a slight distance off, looking for any sign of a demon that dare draw too close, he was finding it harder and harder not to go after some of the mortals as well. 

He felt like his own soul was in a conflict all its own, torn two ways. A part of him wanted to be there in that awful crowd listening to the quips of Tevar and listening to Aladria as she explained some new item with that gusto that only a scholar of things could have. He wanted to see what Inarius had to say about what his world had become and see if this was helping him to heal any.

It might be even nice to… be somewhere where there was nothing that might cause memories to flare and distort his and Tyrael’s broken comradeship more so. Perhaps create some new, unblemished memory. 

 

Yet stronger still was the anger in his soul that reminded him of how it was mortals that helped to enabled the prime evils to return or how Tyrael had wronged him. That seed of hatred seemed only to fester more and more as the memories of the past continued to remind him of all he had lost. That his kin, those he had cared about left him to rot and waste away, leaving him nothing but an empty shell of moldering Heaven to protect. The hurt always rose up anew and with it, his desire to make it felt upon everyone else so that he may not be the only one that remained still in agony. Imperius idly raised a hand to his chest, rubbing over where once there had been a deep wound, feeling the uncomfortable pressure build again and making his whole resonance prickle with unease.

Imperius sighed and turned his attention back to the fair, about to once more reach out and see where the four had gotten to now only for a sudden rush of evil seemed to rise up at his back. He whirled about, Solarion suddenly in hand. He turned away from the light and merriment of the fair, wings flared as he reached his senses into the inky blackness of the forest to feel out where this evil was coming from. Immediately he felt the tendril of cold energy that seemed to curl through the forest, wrapping its fingers about the trees and almost seemed to beckon him to feel it out and follow its path.

Imperius didn’t look down, although he could hear the crackling of leaves and in the light of his wings, the whole ground seem to move as the insects and other vermin fled the presence of this evil. Yet for how much fear it seemed to inspire in such primitive creatures, the energy was not hostile. It was a bare whisper, a beacon. An invitation. 

Whatever demon was out there, hiding away in the cover of darkness, it wanted his attention and wanted him to come to it. Such was never a good omen, especially when Imperius could tell that this fiend was using but a sliver of its power to tempt him away from his post and into its wretched company for whatever reason.

His every instinct was keyed up as that tendril of evil rested just a stretch of his spear away, waiting to see if he would accept its summons to follow.

 

For a moment he glanced over his shoulder, back to the fair where the others were carrying on. With how many mortal souls were about, no doubt Tyrael and Inarius would not feel that energy as poignant as he was. They might feel a ripple of it, but nothing that would alert them to the truth. The best course of action would be to raise the alarm and have their support in chasing this fiend.

The chilled touch of that presence though seemed to tug more insistently for every second he hesitated to follow it. A tendril of it even seemed to have tried to hook onto his own resonance, as if to try and gently drag him towards it like a gently coaxing parent.. Imperius’s grip tightened on Solarion and he turned back to the forest, squaring his shoulders. A snarl was already bubbling up from within him as he darted into the dark of the underbrush on the trail of that energy. This was a task he could handle alone. There was no need to involve the others. He did not need them in Hell to take on Melicor and Rakanoth. He would not need them for whatever fiend was trying to goad him to combat. If it was a fight this demon wanted, he would make sure they were left in ribbons upon the floor. 

The forest seemed to grow darker as he grew closer and the overwhelming evil that oozed from ithe demon he tracked started to become stronger. Eventually the trail came to its end in a clearing with no light but the waning crescent above and the stars that seemed even more distant as if whatever had come to this forest this night caused them to hide their face in quiet dread. The archangel could feel eyes upon him and knew that in the darkness around him, the fiend lurked. Slowly he turned, spear at the ready as he reached out to try and pinpoint where the attack from this demon would come, feeling both a shiver of concern and a rising excitement at the battle a foe this strong may bring forth for him to lay to ruin.

“Ah the might Imperius. How long has it been?”

The words echoed in the clearing and Imperius tensed. He knew that voice, although it had been many thousands of years since last he heard its sibilant hiss. 

“Mephisto. It has been a long time.”

Laughter echoed around him. In the darkness before him, the land began to shift and a huge behemoth of a demon arose from an outcropping of rocks stretching out as it unfurled itself in all its wretched, hateful glory. Even in the low light of the night, the lord of hatred was an unmistakable figure. Unlike his more brutish siblings, Mephisto had a slender appearance and like many of his underlings, appeared more skeletal. The elongated face seemed fixed in a permanent sneer and large horns curled back from the skull giving him an almost regal appearance. The mortal body that he had once festered in was naught but a bit of dangling flesh now and four arms casually rested against the rocks as Mephisto half laid, looking in no rush for battle as he peered down at the archangel. 

“I did not think you would answer my invitation Imperius. I know how your kind always ah…have to talk things over before you act.” Mephisto drawled. “But I am glad you are here alone so we may have a little…chat if you will.” 

“I’m not here to share words, demon.” Imperius snarled, pointing his spear at the prime evil, “I know not why you are here or what plans you have, but I’ve come to end you.”

Mephisto chuckled, the glow of his eyes narrowing, “Oh Imperius, have I missed you! Of all your kin, only you truly acted. Where I can respect Auriel’s aspect, you, valor, oh you were the missing element of our conflict. But alas, I do not come here to trade blows, Imperius.”

“A pity, as I’ve come for your head.”

The prime evil laughed, although the sound was barely hiding the irritated snarl that rumbled in the back of Mephisto’s throat as the demon leaned forward, “If you still wish for a fight after I have spoken, by all means! Let us have our battle! I would love to pluck your wings from your back, but truly, Imperius I want to offer something better. An ah...truce as it were.” 

Imperius laughed, “Then you are a fool to think I would even consider such a thing demon! Clearly the years have made you go soft in the head!”

The insults only served to have Mephisto chuckling again, propping his head up in one hand, “Oh don’t get the wrong idea….I still hate you and your heavenly kin with every fiber of my being.” He began in a low hiss, “But for now, we stand on the same side Imperius, we both want the same thing. Mmm…how do the mortals say it? The enemy of my enemy is my ally.”

“There is nothing you want that I desire, demon.”

The sneer upon the face of the lord of hatred seemed to grow as he rose up some, “Oh but we do! We both yearn for one thing above all else.” He paused, leaning in ever so slightly, “We want the return of the Eternal Conflict, the very basis of our beings… we want the glory of slaughter and blood, of death and rebirth. The cycle for which we were born for!”

Imperius tensed, his spear level upon Mephisto but he did not move to attack. The demon’s words were not…untrue, but he would be damned if he would admit that out loud. “The conflict is over, demon.”

“And Hell and Heaven have borne the brunt of that peace.” Mephisto drawled rising up to his full height, spreading all four arms out wide, “With no angels, when the last of your wretched kind vanished, do you know what became of Hell?”

“It seems to have thrived.” Imperius growled.

“Then you truly are a blind fool!” Mephisto hissed, “With no Heaven and only the paltry, weak humans to amuse ourselves with, the Hells tore themselves apart. Even minor lords found it in them to dare challenge their masters. There was no common enemy left. Even my own brothers turned against one another, trying to find some outlet for blood and power.”

“How unfortunate.” Imperius sneered, “Pardon me for not caring of your plight.”

Mephisto snorted, eyes narrowed, “Trust me, I do not care either about the fate of my brothers and what their in-fighting led to. I survived the bloodbath and now…now I endure in this constant boredom, fooling mortals for petty things. Watching my new disciples rise, weak and unchallenging and indulging in petty hatreds ….well…” he chuckled, “That was until you returned. Until you began to thin the ranks of the weak and make things interesting again.”

 

The lord of hatred slid closer, now mere inches away from the tip of Imperius’s spear and the archangel felt himself tense with the desire to thrust the spear forward and silence the beast yet something held him back, locking him into place as the demon spoke. Mephisto leered at Imperius, folding his hands together as he regarded the archangel with just as much animosity burning within his eyes. 

“And what does all of this have to do with this truce you think I would ever consider?” Imperius managed to growl out, wings tensed.

“I hate this boredom and I hate these mortals.” Mephisto growled out, “I want a real challenge. This whole world, I could burn it to ash in moments but it would do nothing. No, but using it as the stage of our war to rekindle….” The lord of hatred trailed off, his eyes widening, “That excites me.”

“You are not getting to the point demon.”

Mephisto chuckled, leaning back, “I have some of your kin, angels I’ve ah, collected. Trapped for years in my clutch to dangle for entertainment now and then. I can part with the less favored of my playthings, back into your keeping. With them, you would have the ability to once more populate Heaven and build your legions to come against my own.” 

“What?”

The question came out weaker than he wanted, his tone faultering a bit as the words sunk in. There were other angels. Well, if Mephisto was to be trusted, but the hope was there, sinking into his resonance. 

“I will release these angels and you can rebuild Heaven to its glory with no counsel. It will be now as you wish it to be. A pure, new Heaven. A clean slate, free of the weaknesses of the past.” Mephisto hissed, extending a hand out to Imperius, “We will have our place once more, the purpose and direction we were made for before the nephelem ruined it all. Our conflict renewed!”

Imperius did not respond, his soul burning, hating how the demon was speaking sense and how his words tugged at the long ache that had always been there since the conflict ended. It had been the end of the wars of Pandemonium that had decayed the council as there was no more an enemy to face. The concerns about mortals had pulled both sides away from the easy, simple hatreds of the past and if Mephisto spoke true and he did have angels imprisoned still somewhere that could be released…

Heaven could be restored. As he saw fit. 

But if Sanctuary was to be the new battleground…

“What about the mortals?” Imperius growled. 

“Don’t try to play hero here Imperius. You and I both know you care very little for any mortals of this place.” Mephisto sneered. “Liking one or two doesn’t constitute a love of all of them. If you must, save the handful you are fond off. Keep them safe in Heaven. Humans live such short lives, and they are nothing more than slightly smarter pets. Easily mislead, easy to love and trust any hand that seems just a bit kind to their miserable lives.”

A sense of unease rippled through Imperius as he took a small step back from the demon, “Tyrael would not stand aside for such plans.”

“Then remove him. Just like he removed you.”

The word cut through Imperius, making it feel as if his resonance had just been submerged in ice. His grip tightened on his spear as he eyed the demon with undisguised hatred of his own. 

“You speak of betrayal.” 

Mephisto chuckled, “I would say it is more justice. He failed in his duties as an archangel and forsook his oaths to guard Heaven by allowing Diablo in. Perhaps that is why you really brought him back. To make sure he has his sentence carried out by your hand. As you’ve always wanted.”

Imperius could feel the chill of the night so clearly now, more than aware of how close Mephisto was and how his soul twisted at the words the demon spoke and a part of him screamed to do what needed to be done and thrust his spear forward and meet the demon lord in combat. But he hesitated. He stood there, glaring at Mephisto, hating how much a part of him wanted the conflict back. 

He owned Tyrael no loyalty for what he had done to him, nor to the rest of the council that had sat and nodded their empty heads in agreement of all the fallen angel had said. Mortal kind had screamed its anger at Heaven, desecrated the halls and allowed evil to fester in their souls. The death of mortals wouldn’t be so terrible a lost and whatever vision the angeris council had once had for Heaven had failed, but if he had the angels to do so, Heaven could be made anew, stronger than before. 

But at what cost?   
Even as he wanted to condemn all mortal kind, he couldn’t keep his thoughts off the two that had sacrificed so much to help him and in battle, had only shown their valor time nad time again. How Tevar always could find the best in any situation and Aladria was there, that spark in her eye, to explain this new world as if it contained all the wonders of the universe within it. There was beauty here and innocence that was unaware of the conflict that surrounded it.

There was evil and wickedness here. There was an endless wealth of mercy and compassion. There was a chance of treason and betrayal most foul. But there was also forgiveness and bonds of friendship that endured. 

IMperius’s spear trembled as he felt like his thoughts would tear him apart, wanting to speak, but unable to find his voice. Mephisto merely chuckled as he noticed theindecisivenessof his foe, starting to slowly pull away. 

“I do not need an answer tonight, Imperius. I only ask you consider what I’m offering,” The lord of hatred said as he began to slowly slink back to the shadows. “Inarius’s hatred of me will keep him well and locked into the conflict. All you need do is to ensure that one, unwanted, unnecessary, one fallen angel is silenced.”

You speak nothing but lies.” Imperius finally managed, “Your words are poison.”

“Are they? Or am I the first one to talk any sense?” Mephisto chuckled, “Just consider what I’ve said, Imperius. I’ll know if you’ve made the pact for your reborn Heaven. The moment Tyrael’s essence vanishes from this world, you will find more of your kin filling the skies with their wretched cries. The choice is yours.”

“You have nothing to gain from Heaven’s restoration.”

“On the contrary I do. I told you…there is so much weakness in Hell. Even the few old lords like Rakanoth are so easily taken care of. My disciples have been stagnant and weak but you… you shook up the order. You’ve inspired true hatred where before all they had was petty dislikes.” Mephisto insisted, eyes widening, “And it is in you, in your wrath…well, I see the shape of my greatest disciple to come. The shinning beacon of true hate, loathing, and spite that will serve as the vanguard to my rise.” 

Something in the prime evil’s words sent a rush heat to Imperius’s core and he withdrew just a bit, one hand rising to touch his chest as his resonance churned, burning and wanting to burst within him. Those words did not sit well with him and he felt there was a threat in those words, some thinly veiled warning he should head. Those thoughts though he pushed aside, pointing his spear against at the prime evil of hatred, “I will do nothing that will strengthen Hell. Any disciple of yours that dares to challenge me, I will slay a I did the last one.”

“But will you do what is necessary to strengthen Heaven against Hell?” Mephisto questioned as he pulled back, starting to meld back into the shadows, “Or will you let everyone tether you to their leashes again like the reckless maniac they see you as?”

Imperius let out a roar, finally letting his spear fly into the darkness even though he knew the fiend was already gone, the taint of his evil retreating away into the night. He stood there trembling, wings pulled tight to his back hating how the words of the demon worked their way through him. 

The demon did not ask for much. Did not ask for him to hand over anyone. All that was requested of this bargain, if he was to accept, was for Tyrael to be slain. One death and Heaven would return and the conflict for which he was born to fight would return. The very center of Heaven’s identity would be restored. 

And all of Sanctuary would burn for it. 

Imperius shuddered, feeling a clench of his very soul at the thought. The mortals would perish or be made into nothing short of livestock to feed the demons. Perhaps a few could be saved to live within Heaven. Those like Tevar and Aladria. 

But how many might that be? How many mortals might be-

He let out a snarl of fury, feeling his resonance twist and burn more, shuddering as he felt a sudden lurch of pain radiate from his death, causing him to clutch at his chest plate tightly. Fingers scraped against the metal as if he could dig the hand into his own being and pull out whatever twisted in his soul and made him feel….wrong. He clutched his spear, wanting to be anywhere but in that clearing then, teleporting back to the outskirts of the fair.

He landed heavily, nearly overbalancing and reached out with one hand to brace himself against a tree as the burning in his chest only seemed to grow as he stared out over the festivities. Ahead, he could see the lights of the fair and hear the murmur of the crowds, of the mortals who went about their lives with no idea of the monsters that lurked outside the light. The pettiness of their evil compared to the fiends that held fangs always above their heads.

They were, all of them, unware. Innocent. An awful mistake. A horrible abomination. 

Imperius did not linger, vanishing from sight quickly and returning to Heaven. He wanted to leave the others to whatever celebration they were wrapping up, wandering about the tents and machines of modern man. He could not stand another second there, struggling as he was to reign in his own thoughts. Of how a part of him looked upon the whole affair and wanted nothing more than to lash out and burn it all to ashes and revel in it. 

How he hated them. How he pitied them. How he wish that he could overcome the sudden anger that seemed ever present in his core.

The calm of Heaven did little to ease the strife in his soul as he stood there, one hand pressed to his chest, fingers curled against the breast plate, his gaze fixed ahead over the expanse of empty spires. The fact that now the only way to revive Heaven was with Tyrael or Inarius brought another lurch of repulsion to his soul and he knew, he would never be able to bring his song to rise with either of them. 

Mephisto’s words came back to his mind, wrapping tempting promises about him. If he was to be trusted, there were other angels out there that would be freed with one sacrifice and with them, Heaven could be rekindled and no longer would he feel alone or trapped by the past.

That would mean though betraying Tyrael. 

Imperius lowered his gaze, vanishing again to appear in the room of the mortals, taking in the mess of their squalor. The odd mattresses and bedsheets that were strewn upon them. The clothing they wore thrown about, although the armor he had made them sat meticulously upon armor racks and were well attended to and cleaned. There was a frame upon one of the stands and he found himself drawn to it, picking it up and looking upon the picture with a tremor to his resonance. 

Tevar and Aladria flashing the two finger v-signal with Tyrael and him crammed in the back, copying the gesture. Idly he let his finger trace over the figures before gently putting the picture down. 

They did live such short lives. In time they would be gone and it would just be him and Tyrael and all his slowly growing spite to keep him company. 

Their company would not last forever and the thought of being alone filled him already with an ache of an emotion he couldn’t quiet place.

“Imperius? You in?”

The archangel of valor tensed, whirling about as if he had been caught in the midst of some crime and quickly set the picture down. He vanished, quickly reappearing nearby as if to cover up the fact he had intruded into their personal living quarters uninvited. The four who had been at the fair had returned, Inarius already dropping his disguise, holding a bag of assorted human crafts, already taking out one of his spoils, some sort of gourd carved into a small house and painted bright colors and inspecting it closely. Tevar and Aladria had a myriad of items themselves and Tyrael stood behind them, a bag of spoils in one hand and a large stuffed animal under the other arm. 

“How long have you been up here? Thought you were keeping guard?” Tevar asked, relief in his expression. “We got worried when we couldn’t find you.”

“I grew bored and there were no demons about to amuse myself with,” Imperius murmured. 

“Well you missed a good time.” Tevar crowed, “All the food and rides!”

Inarius snorted, “Your mortal ideas of fun are very questionable. I think that thing you called a roller coaster was rolling in the wind with every gust. I was waiting for it to fall over and for you all to perish.”

Aladrias chuckled, “It doesn’t seem so scary after being Hell to be honest. I think that man jumping through the ring of fire on a motorcycle was more terrifying to watch really.”

“mm.” IMperius murmured, already turning away, “Well then I’ll leave you to your prattling and what have you. I really don’t care to hear.”

Aladria’s smile dimmed some, and Tevar frowned a bit before he shook his head and stepped aside, giving a nudge to Tyrael, “Well we were really just about to head to bed ourselves, but Tyrarel here has something to give you.”

The archangel of justice huffed, wings starting to flicker out of hiding and fluttering nervously behind him. Regardless of his nerves though, he stepped forward, his mortal guise falling away to reveal his angelic form once more. He set down the bag he carried and took the large plush in both hands, holding it out to Imperius, “I won this in some human game…Tevar and Aladria suggested I give it to you as…an apology of sorts.” He sighed, looking away, “I really doubt it will fix anything, but I want to try and I suppose starting small with gifts is somewhere to start.”

Imperius stared at the object. It was some sort of large bovine wearing a crown and carrying a small ax that made him vaguely recall the demon cows that one of the evils of Hell had made. He reached out to take it, continuing to stare the gift down. 

“This is entirely stupid and pointless.” Imperius finally said flatly.

Tyrael’s wings dipped a bit as he turned away, “I suppose it is… I thought it was at least amusing. You…you always did talk how you wanted to fight the supposed cow demon king.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“It was, but you don’t forget those small moments of happiness easily. Not when everything now is…” Tyrael sighed shifting from foot to foot nervously, “Do with it what you will. Just know…I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to be your enemy Imperius .Not for the restoration of Heaven. If you want to restore it or not, I will not try to force you just…”

He let out another sigh. “Hate me if you will, but it is not mutual.”

The archangel looked like he wanted to say something else before he shook his head and turned away, “I’m going to the archives. With the free time of late, there were a few old stories I wanted to read. I suppose there is no time like the present.”

Inarius snorted, “…you are as bad as Maltahel brother.” He drawled before he spread his wings and flitted off to whatever corner of heaven he had claimed as his new quarters. 

Tyrael’s wings flared and skittered about in embarrassment and he raised a single finger to his brother’s back in a gesture that had Tevar bursting out laughing and Aladria letting out a loud sigh, shaking her head. 

“Nice work Tevar. You taught angels how to flip someone off.” She drawled. 

“Hey! The finger of honor is a universal sign!” he protested. “The biggest dishonor would be not to teach them of its glory!”

Tyrael glanced to the two mortals before bowing his head, “Have a good rest you two.”

“See you in the morning. Remember, blueberry pancakes first thing tomorrow!” Tevar said with a grin.

“I would not miss it for the world.” Tyrael assured him with a tired chuckled before he picked up his own bag and took off.

Aladria smiled as she turned to Imperius walking over and patting his arm, “And we’ll see you in the morning too, right?”

“Maybe. We will see.” He murmured.

“Well don’t feel like a stranger Imperius. You are part of the team. There is no us without you honestly. You are the powerhouse that holds this team together!” Tevar said, “Next time we go out, we will do something you can join in more. Something none mortal-disguise okay? Maybe we can go ghost hunting and exploring old ruins.”

“That would be….nice I suppose.”

The lackluster response had both mortals sharing a look of slight concern, although they tried to hide it under smiles. The look tore at Imperius, knowing more than well enough that they were worried about him. Above all else, these two wanted only to help, as they had from the start.

And it tore at him that he was debating their lives, their world against the importance of his own.

“Something up?”

The question caused Imperius to glance up from the plush he had been staring at. He stared at the two for a long moment, wanting to speak and confess to what had really happened. Instead he looked away.

“Well… I…” He paused, shaking his head, “No. I am just still recovering and not feeling my best. I suppose the scar upon my soul was deeper than I thought.”

The answer seemed to ease the worry some and Tevar nodded, “Understandable. You’ve been through a hell of a time.”

“We hope you are feeling better soon Imperius.” Aladria said quietly as she drew back. “You aren’t yourself unless you are glowing your brightest and full of that endearing grumpiness.”

He watched them turn to go and his resonance wretched.

“wait.” 

They both stopped, turning to regard him as he stood there, wings pulled tight in distress. His soul was at war with itself within his armor and he yearned to tell them what happened. He wanted to share the conversation he had with Mephisto with them and hear what they had to say, yet if they knew, if they knew that the offer was one he was perhaps considering so clearly….

Would they still see him as friend or as someone to contain like the council had before?

“I wanted to wish you a good rest.” He finally said, his voice tight. “And to thank you for… stay by my side despite the pain I have caused you.” 

Aladria’s expression softened and Tevar chuckled, shaking his head, “Aw, we love you too big guy!”

“Despite the rocky start to how we met, I’m honestly glad I met you Imperius. This whole journey…it is honestly like a dream to be learning so much and having the chance to document it all properly.” Aladria admitted with a shy bow of her head. “And being able to meet Tevar too. And Tyrael. Even Inarius when he’s not being an ah-“

“Not acting like he is creation’s gift to this world.” Tevar smiled wider before shaking his head, putting an arm about Aladria and then scooching over to put the other around Imperius, “Damnit guys! This calls for a group hug!”

Aladria laughed as she returned the hug and Imperius tensed, feeling the guilt well up hotter with in him, but still moved to rest a hand on both their backs in some attempt at a return of the gesture put forth. 

“I... the two of you have been far too kind.”

“And you’ve been far too patient, indulging in all our strange mortalness even those it rubs you the wrong way,” Tevar returned with a wink, “Tomorrow we will discuss some things we can do together.”

“All right…”

Aladria pulled away then, giving a final pat to Imperius’s arm, “Good night Imperius. Rest well.”

“Yeah big guy. Rest easy, don’t punch Tyrael, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” He repeated softly. 

Imperius watched them leave and he remained rooted to where he stood, hating himself even more for not saying anything and feeling like he was lying through his teeth worse than Belial. Shame was not something he felt often but it burned in him, mixing with the resentment he had towards Tyrael, towards Mephisto, towards all of Heaven and Hell. Towards this whole situation that never seemed to get better as much as it got worse and more and more there seemed no purpose for his existence now despite how he struggled to find goals to pursue. 

The sound of tearing jolted from his thoughts and he looked down at the plush Tyrael had given him, the sides now torn from where he had dug his fingers into the fabric. Stuffing spilled out as he stood there just staring at the damage he had wrought, one hand lifting to pick at the white cotton idly. To say he felt lost would not be doing justice to the storm of emotions that ripped at his resonance.

He wondered what Malthael would say about all of this and what plans wisdom would put forth after considering all options. It had always been the archangel of wisdom who could see all the possible paths and guide them down the one that would lead to the greatest success. If he stood here now, sane and whole as he was before the worldstone was stolen, would he see wisdom in Tyrael’s death or see more to be done in holding true to their small numbers and opting for the protection of Sanctuary.

What fate would Itherael interpret? What hope would Auriel had?

What would Magtherius have thought of all of this?

He looked upon the damaged toy before with a thought, heat rose to his hands and the delicate cloth caught fire, reducing it to ashes in seconds. Imperius watched them dance away from his grip into the wind of Heaven before he turned away, one hand rising to his chest, pressed against the pressure there, the gnawing indecisiveness and guilt that competed with the hate and shameful desire to have a new Heaven and a fresh start from the shades of the past.

It all came down now to a simple choice, must more akin to those that the mortals lived with each day.

Imperius looked out over the emptiness of Heaven one last time and idly wondered how mortals coped with knowing how much weight their choices may carry, or perhaps with their limited views, such choices always seemed so simple and in the moment. They could not see the larger spiraling web that single choice could wrought. 

A sigh escaped him as he turned away, feeling the burden of what he had to decide rest heavily upon his shoulders, weighing his soul down.

A choice would have to be made, and he wasn’t sure if it would damn him and Heaven for the rest of eternity.


	13. Choices Made

Mortals were unpredictable, true enough Imperius supposed, but one thing he had learned quickly was that their morning routines were rather predictable. As the sun over Heaven rose higher, leaving behind the dusky twilight that passed for night, the mortals too also rose to eat and take care of other unsavory business. 

Imperius had made it a point to be there to greet them as they awoke and watch them go about the preparation of their food, although this morning, he found himself late and even a little reluctant to enter the area they typically ate at. Especially when seeing Tyrael and Inarius at the table with Tevar and Aladria, all of them gathered around a huge stack of flat bread-like things covered in a smattering of small blue splotches.

The very sight of it made something in Imperius twist and a snarl of anger rise up causing the front of his armor to color slightly.

“Imperius! There you are!” Tevar greeted, “Was getting worried you weren’t coming or something!”

“…I was delayed.” He murmured as he stood in the doorway, not moving to enter.

“Delayed doing what? Angrily staring into the sunrise?”

He knew the statement was meant to be teasing but with how frayed his soul felt, a swell of irritation rose in him, simmering just below the surface, “It is my own business.” 

“It would be best to avoid such humors, Tevar,” Inarius murmured softly, “He feels in a rather foul mood. More so than usual.”

Tevar glanced to the former imprisoned angel, frowning a touch as he glanced to Imperius, “…something up big guy?”

“No.”

The short answer had Aladria looking a bit more concern, glancing down to pick at her pancake, “Well, if there is, you know you can tell us, right?”

“I know.”

He still made no move to enter and instead leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. His wings tugged back against him in a more defensive posture as he eyed the strange food they were consuming this morning, “What are you even eating?”

“Blueberry pancakes! We bought this mix at the fair and like made a hundred of them.” Tevar said with a grin, “Although if Tyrael keeps eating like he is, he’s probably going to start getting fat.”

“Unlike mortals, angels cannot gain weight, so need to worry,” Tyrael chuckled some as he poured more syrup out over another stack of pancakes, “I can eat to my heart’s content now.”

“Do you want some before my brother inhales them into the void of his being, Imperius?” Inarius asked, spearing another one off the stack with a fork. “You can actually taste mortal food when it is made with good intention.”

“I do not consume mortal food.” Imperius growled, looking away. “It is disgusting.”

“They are blueberry.” Tyrael huffed back, starting to fork more of them up, “And they taste so tart, a hint of sweetness…although the syrup on top is what makes it all the better.”

Tevar snickered some, “Tyrael’s got a bad sweet tooth. How many candy apples did you buy to stash away?”

“…none.” 

“You ate all of them already?” Aladria gawked, “You had about a dozen of them!”

Tyrael dipped his head a bit as he looked away, “….I was reading and they were a good snack on the side. I could not help it when they have such a lovely crunch. Apples during the times of old were so rare and rarely tasted so good.”

“I’m afraid your resonance is just going to turn into a mass of mortal sweets brother.” Inarius drawled.

The comment caused the four at the table to share in a small laugh, Tyrael shrugging before busying himself with devouring another few pancakes.   
The whole conversation was harmless. There wasn’t anything about it that was out of the ordinary or would be a cause for irritation nor was an ill word spoken. None of the comments were even directed towards Imperius and he felt a simmer of agitation start to boil in his resonance. It felt like his mind was latching onto ever little annoyance that had once been forgivable. The smacking noise of the mortals eating was grating. The vile look of the food, and even the small scraping sounds of the chairs being moved a bit seemed to grate upon his nerves more than it should. Just watching Tyrael be in high spirits had something in Imperius practically snarling and wanting to do something, anything to rip apart the cheer in the room.  
Everything just sounded too loud and boisterous for whatever contempt had taken root in his soul, although a part of him felt like the feeling was entirely off.   
“So do we have any plans for today?”

Imperius glanced up, the question jolting him from his musings, “Hm?”

Tevar sighed, shaking his head, but repeated the question, “Are we doing anything today? Got some new plan?”

Imperius was silent and felt a surge of guilt twist through him as he looked away. He had plans today, ones that he didn’t want either Tevar or Aladria to be privy to. He had spent the quiet time where they had been sleeping to slowly put together what needed to be done today, in all its horrid glory. His posture was tense and wings pulled even closer and to the angels, his resonance spoke of some worry that he was not giving voice two. 

He could feel the eyes of those at the table digging through him, making Imperius feel exposed and wanting to yell at them to stop speaking to him, to get defense as if their gaze was accusations of the sin he was considering committing.   
They were expecting an answer though, and he had to come up with the lie to try and hide the vicious truth. 

“…you said something about…ghost hunting.” He began slowly, “Do you have locations in mind?”

Tevar blinked before giving a sheepish look, “Well, no. Not exactly? I haven’t looked up haunted locations in depth per say. Can’t really look up anything when Heaven is a wi-fi deadzone.”

Imperius shifted a bit, “If…Inarius went with you to Sanctuary, would you be able to find a place with this wi-fi and look up some locations? Perhaps…some of them are not haunted but may be where hidden angels have taken refuge.”

The lie was a good one, but it was a lie nonetheless. He did not think that mortal assumptions of hauntings were any sort of angel. Perhaps a lingering demon looking to feed, but not one of his own kin, not when he hadn’t been able to sense a single one since his arrival. Tevar and Aladria seemed to perk up at what he said, the later already getting that fierce spark of determination. 

Inarius though was wiser to something brewing under the surface, as was Tyrael. Both had remained silent, their own resonance more guarded as they sensed more keenly the odd conflict of moods in Imperius and the detection of guilt, although the source of it, they wouldn’t be able to place. They could assume of course, but he doubted they would ever guess the truth being he had spoken with a prime evil of all things and was considering a bargain with said demon.

It was time like this that Imperius wished he was able to completely mask his resonance as Malthael did to hide his every feeling, especially given he would be the first to admit he had never been good at keeping his emotions from being worn out for all the world to see. Especially now when he was struggling against himself to try and justify what he had to do for the sake of Heaven. 

“Sounds good! Inarius, you up for a little spook research?” Tevar asked with a grin. 

“Can we also do some shopping? You mentioned this place called a strip mall and I want to see what mortal goods they consider luxury in this day and age.” Inarius said with a shrug, “And to learn more about the culture of the ages now.”

“Only concern is that sort of leaves Imperius and Tyrael alone and well…” Tevar glanced at Imperius, “The two of you have a history of not making nice.”

Imperius snorted, pushing himself off the doorway and turning to go, “I wanted to speak to him of something I found in the pools of wisdom when I was fetching the portal medium. It might be something he actually knows the answer too.”

That caused Tyrael to tense. The archangel of justice’s posture was guarded and unsure of Imperius’s words, and Imperius, for a moment, wondered if Tyrael could indeed detect the truth and had a clue of why Imperius wanted him alone. After a moment though, he sighed and gave a small nod.

“Very well then, Imperius.” 

A bit of tension bled away from the archangel of valor’s shoulders as he returned the nod, “I will meet you at the overlook.” 

Imperius turned away before Tyrael could respond and took to wing. He was not in any hurry to get to the pools of wisdom again if only because it denied the inevitable. The stirring in his chest seemed to burn hotter as he once more took in the plan that had been devised. He had to do it quickly before the moment passed and he could have more time to consider or doubt himself more than he already did. There was a reason he had picked the realm of Malthael as the meeting point and it wasn’t for some strange thing noticed. It was simply that the pools of wisdom were so remote. Inarius nor the mortals would ever accidentally stumble into the place and even if they did, would not linger. The former prisoner of Hell had a clear dislike for Malthael and the mortals were not wont to linger in unpleasant places after all. 

The fog would mask the grisly work that needed to be done and Heaven was empty. There would be no eyes for the crime that was to be committed. His entire soul clenched and Imperius mentally corrected himself that this was justice. What he was going to do would restore Heaven and be a sentence that had to be passed years ago to give closure to the past. A feeble lie really but one he continued to tell to himself as if it would sooth his soul and make it an easy affair.  
It was for the good of Heaven. If it was to be restored, they would need more of their kind and Mephisto, if he did have them, would release them if Tyrael was dully dealt with. A small voice though murmured how the demon could very well be lying and he would just be stabbing Tyrael in the back to appease that seed of intense hatred that had started to grow more and more within his soul each day he looked upon the other angel. He felt revulsion at himself for taking some pleasure in the idea of just killing Tyrael to sate the hurt the other had inflicted upon him.

The dark thoughts plagued Imperius even as he finally arrived at his destination at the very edge of the pools of wisdom, slowly descending to touch down again upon the ground.   
The overlook was relatively untouched compared to the other buildings in the sphere of wisdom, perhaps more for the fact it contained very little of anything and stood so apart from the rest of Heaven. It was a place of tranquility and introspection and many wisdom angels would spend days meditating there, staring into the sea of clouds as their minds mused over the questions of reality. Malthael himself once frequented the place, sitting quietly for hours at end, staring off into eternity. That though, had been in the days before he created the chalice of wisdom, Chalad’ar, and took to musing alone within the depths of his quarters, away from the rest of Heaven. Slowly but surely, the other wisdom angels also began to creep away from this place, although a few still returned to consider the eternity before the overlook.

Imperius now stood at the lip of the overlook, looking over the endless sea of clouds that stretched away to the horizon as he called Solarion to his hand. The familiar sight brought back old memories of days spent at this point. He remembered as a youth he had always wanted to explore out into that unending landscape and see if something was out there. The fanciful daydreams of being a fledging he supposed, believing there were giant beasts made of light and clouds that lurked out of sight or hidden lands of rain and thunder that were home to creatures that no one dared to name.   
It was almost ironic now that the thoughts he contemplated were ones of murder.   
He felt Tyrael long before he arrived as the archangel of justice made no move to hide his presence as he came to land a few feet away. Neither of them spoke, although Tyrael’s turned his attention briefly to the view of endless clouds that billowed and roiled just beyond the lip of the Overlook’s massive balcony.  
“What is it you wanted to show me?” 

“I’m sure you saw the ruins on your way in.” Imperius murmured, “The slurs that were put upon them and how the place was ransacked by your mortals.”

Tyrael tensed but let out a soft sigh, “I had no control of their anger Imperius….did you really call me out here to talk about this? We both know Malthael was not well and his death was necessary”

“I know that. What was done had to be done, but all of the destruction afterwards…” He felt a twist of anger, focusing on it to help steel his hands for what would come, “Was that necessary?”

He wanted Tyrael to justify and defend the actions the mortals made, as he always did. He wanted the other angel to feed his anger and give him reason to rage. It would be easier to justify his death if he could just hate him more and hold him in contempt. What he received though was only a soft sigh as Tyrael glanced away.

“It wasn’t.” Tyrael began softly, “It could have been handled differently but I was not there. I was on Sanctuary at the time trying to negotiate a treaty. It is…” He let out another sigh, “Those that remained did not desrve their home tarnished like this and I did speak to the nephelem about it, tried to explain what this place meant but…”

Tyrael trailed off, wings pressing closer to his back as he glanced back at the shell of ruins barely looming out of the fog of the land, “…I just wish we could have helped him before it got to the point it did. That there was a sign.”

The answer caused Imperius to tense. It was not the retort he wanted to hear. It was not something that he could use to escalate things between them. He hated Tyrael yes, but with those words, ones he could agree upon, the anger was bleeding, leaving him more conflicted than before. His grip on Solarion tightened as did the pressure within his chest that writhed more obviously as some sort of sour note of his resonance. 

“It doesn’t matter. He is gone, as is everyone else.” He paused, turning away from Tyrael. “If you could restore Heaven, would you do so?”

“Without question.”

Imperius’s wings drew closer to his back, his grip tight on his spear, “Even if it meant having to betray someone?”

Tyrael was silent then, looking away. The only sound was the distant moan of the wind sliding over the ruins of wisdom like a wailing spirit, lost to time and blindly trying to find its way back home. The archangel of justice’s gaze was fixed on the sea of clouds as it broiled and moved, faint flashes of lighting and rumbles of thunder heard in the distance.

“…betrayal of any kind…” he began slowly, “I have learned that it is far more deadly than any sword, even if it is made with an intention for good. In the end, it does only harm.”

Tyrael sighed, shaking his head as he stepped forward with his back to Imperius, hands folded behind his back as he stood on the edge of the balcony, gazing off into the endless eternity before them, “I would not. Even if it brought back Heaven, I would not. Not again. Not after seeing what it has done to you and knowing I will have to live with the regret of losing what was important between us. That I was too blind then to see that my actions would forever destroy us, what we had….what we could have had.”

Tyrael fell silent and shook his head, “I will not let myself do such a thing against anyone ever again and I despite it so that fate made you have to be the one to fall to teach me this horrid lesson.” 

Imperius couldn’t bear to look at Tyrael, feeling his soul wretch, the hatred and guilt melding together into a ball of something heavier. Tyrael’s back was too him and it would be easy to do the deed now and slip his spear between his wings and into his core. It would be quick. Tyrael would be long dead before he realized what has happened. Perhaps he would manage a final gasp, look back once before his form began to disintegrate and leave nothing behind. El’druin’s light would finally be extinguished with him being allowed to die a proper death.   
All trace of Tyrael would finally be gone. 

Yet as the archangel of justice stood there at the edge of the overlook balcony, hands behind his back, looking almost serene in the twilight,Imperius was reminded of times they had stood on this balcony after battles, talking loudly and dangling legs out over the edge and talk avidly about what could beyond. Of course their loud intrusions had earned them the dirty looks of more than a few wisdom angels who were meditating, but none of that mattered then.

They had been happy in their pursuits. Sitting close enough to brush shoulders, hands accidentally touched but neither pulling away. Brushes of wings and a hum of happiness….

He was trembling as he held the spear. Every impulse he had said to do it quickly, just as he had decided last night. The more he dallied, the more he would lose the nerve and then Heaven would be damned.

It was as Mephisto had said. What he was doing was an act of justice. Tyrael had committed crimes against Heaven, against him, and deserved to have the penalty of his crime served after so long. The spirits of the long dead of Diablo’s attack would demand it. No one in Heaven was above the laws that were put forth by the book of virtue, passed down from the moment the arch existed.  
Tyrael needed to die for the sake of Heaven and the future. 

It was what needed to be done.

It was an act of complete cowardice.   
That final thought surged up from the depths of his soul and echoed through his resonance like a sudden burst of fresh air and it lingered, despite everything that seemed to want to swallow it up. His grip relaxed on Solarion before he let go of the weapon entirely  
The clang of it against the stone caused Tyrael to jump and turn around and his wings flared out in confusion, “Imperius?”

The archangel looked down at the fallen weapon before looking up to Tyrael. He hated the other angel. Despised him for the betrayal of himself and he held him still solely responsible for the unleashing of Diablo upon Heaven but…it was not the place of valor to pass an act of judgement, let along to kill Tyrael.  
It was not in his resonance to murder or betray.  
He was born to fight the minions of Hell, to rise above their tides in battle and inspire other with valor and to do what was right, not of the laws, not of any logic, but of the heart and soul.  
He was the aspect of valor and if he did as Mephisto urged, he might as well betray his very soul and who he was at his burning, fearless core.

Solarion flickered and vanished from view until it was needed again and Imperius turned away from the sea of clouds, “Do not worry yourself. I merely was dismissing my weapon.”   
Another lie and it burned at Imperius’s core that for some reason, he could no longer be as honest as he had been with Tyrael in the past. His resonance gave away the conflict within though and the archangel of justice approached slowly, one hand raised as if to offer a touch of comfort. 

“Something is bothering you Imperius. I can feel it now. You’ve been…conflicted all morning.” 

“It is nothing.” Imperius growled, turning away, a hand rising to his chest. The burning ache had returned with a fury, more poignant than before and feeling far more wrong than before. It did not feel normal. “I’m fine.” 

“You have not felt…right since you awoke.”

That caused Imperius’s wings to flare out as he whirled around. A part of him wanting to reach out and rip Tyrael’s wings off, let him become mortal again just so he could crush his skull to a pulp. Yet at the same time, he tensed, alarmed almost at the sudden violent thought.

“I said I’m fine! Worry less about me and more about your brother!” 

“Inarius is…. He needs time to heal yes, but he is regaining his own strength.” Tyrael growled, stepping forward with a stubborn tension to his shoulders, “He will not speak a word of what happened to him, not yet. On his own terms he will speak of that but you-“

Imperius snarled as he turned away, wings wrapping about him in a defensive gesture, now both hands to his chest as if he struggled to contain something. His emotions were all out of sort and he could tell that something was not right. Something in his soul was terribly unsettled and it was just more apparent. It felt like rejecting Mephisto’s words and realizing just what he was about to do had started to reveal more how off he truly was. He was trembling now, the ache more a pain and he knew his resonance was projecting it loud and clear for all to hear. 

It hurt and he could feel himself struggling. The hatred was howling through him and wanting Tyrael’s glowing blood upon the floor. 

He wanted to hurt Tyrael even as he struggled stubbornly to reign in those urges. Again he pulled away from the other angel, nearly staggering as his fingers scrapped against the armor of his chest.   
“Will you just leave me be, Tyrael!? Just this once, will you listen to me?”  
He wanted Tyrael to leave before he lashed out, but the other seemed to refuse, stubbornly dogging his steps.

“I’ve always listened, Imperius. I just don’t always agree with what you say.” Tyrael retorted, “Just like now when I can feel you are struggling. You are in pain! Please, this once, just let me help you!”  
“I said to leave me alone!” 

He vanished away as he roared at the other archangel, aimless as he appeared a distance away, trembling, both arms wrapped about himself. The stubborn anger of his soul was riled up again, intent that he wanted to do no harm to Tyrael, even if he disliked him. He was not justice. He was valor and there was no honor, no bravery in stabbing someone in the back, even if it was to restore Heaven.

Yet something fought him, an urge that felt alien now that he had defied whatever will it had tried to wrought upon him. 

It burned in his soul and seemed to be trying to rip out of whatever prison his resonance had built around its touch in an effort to contain it. 

He could feel Tyrael already rushing to reach his side, calling his name again. Imperius trembled, steeling his will once more and concentrated.   
He vanished again, stumbling as he came back out into the halls of valor. He felt agitated and like he was in Hell again with Malicor’s claws dug into his chest. There was pressure inside of him and his resonance reacted by flaring his wings brighter in effort to give the building pressure a place to escape from.

“Hey Imperius! We are back, and just so you know, we got some super spooky places!” 

The archangel of valor tensed and he felt a cold wash rush over him as he looked up. He saw the two moratls approaching him even as he trembled. Their once cheery expressions quickly fell as they took in his appearance and their pace quickened. 

“Imperius, you okay? Did you get into another fight with Tyrael?” Tevar asked, drawing closer.

“No! I am just not…feeling well and wish to be alone!” He hissed.

Inarius tilted his head some and he could feel the other angel feeling out for his resonance, as if trying to confirm something, “…you should have recovered by now, Imperius.” 

“Recovery from wounds that afflict one’s resonance is longer than what may be seen!” Imperius snapped. “All of you just…please! I wish to be left alone right now!”  
He wanted to be alone as he was starting to doubt he was well and wouldn’t do something awful. If any harm were to come to the two mortals, he would never forgive himself. 

“You are scaring me Imperius.” Aladria murmured, “This...you seem hot.”

“…I mean, the armor aesthetic is kind of hot.” Tevar admitted, earning a nasty look from Aladria, “Okay okay, super serious then….”

Imperius trembled. They were all too loud. Inarius’s presence reminded him too much of Tyrael and the way he seemed to stare through him, as if knowing what the truth of all this was made the anger in Imperius boil more. He could almost feel the archangel of justice approaching as well, no doubt wanting answers to his strange behavior. They were all talking, wanting to help, wanting to be there and all he wanted to do was to get away for their own safety. He shuddered and reached out again, this time out of Heaven and made one last jump, leaving them all behind. 

The cold air of Sanctuary did little to relieve the burn in his soul and he found himself stumbling forward some, blearily looking up as he took in his surroundings. Imperius had had no location in mind really, just anywhere that was in the mortal world. He had appeared at the corner of some mortal town, the whole world bathed in the lazy, buzzing light of streetlights and the lone traffic light above. He stood out like a sore thumb, wings blazing and there was a yelp of alarm across the way as some poor mortal, having been out walking that late night, dropped their drink and gawked at the archangel. Imperius paid them no mind, trembling as he started to stumble along the sidewalk, forcing deep breaths and trying to gain control over his raging resonance and whatever it seemed intent on containing and eradicating from his core. 

His wings pulsed more now, venting out excess energy in an effort to help control his wild soul and slowly, ever so slowly, he felt more in control as he walked, paying no mind to the occasional mortal he passed. For their part, the shock of seeing him seemed to cause most to back away or stand in object shock. Vaguely he recalled Aladria mentioning it would be a bad idea for them to wander as they were in public as mortals were prone to react poorly to oddities, but he could care less.  
Nothing the humans had could cause him any real harm or threat and if any demons came, well, slaughtering them was always a good way to work off extra energy as it were. His wanderings took him out of the town though and down more rural roadsides, only having the very rare car whiz by before he was turning off onto dirt roads, meandering down them and into gravel parking lots and soon, onto narrow trails that weaved into the more wild places of Sanctuary. 

He was alone to reign himself in, grateful the others weren’t’ there with their concern if only because he did not want them to see him in such duress and losing control. 

For now, he could breathe again. The heat of his wings still venting the excess energy out although the pulses were lessoning. The broil of his resonance was starting to settle and he was starting to realize his temper seemed to agitate whatever he was struggling to contain. Idly he wondered if Mephisto had sensed it and his words were no bargain at all, but just a ruse to force whatever turmoil he suffered to become just that much worse. That thought alone made Imperius angrier with himself for agonizing so long over what the demon said, letting it consume him and playing right into the prime evil’s wretched claws. In time, he came to a clearing near a lake, spotted with picnic benches and the dim light coming from a spindly floodlight placed in the nearby parking lot for whatever park this was. He moved to one of the benches and sunk down on it, the old wood groaning in protest at his weight, but holding together. 

The sound of nighttime insects mixed with the lapping of the water to create a soothing melody for his aching resonance. The night was empty and filled with no evil, only a rare sort of serenity that had Imperius hunching forward, burying his face against his hands as he took in a shkey breath.   
He remained like that for a long time, thoughts a mess although most of them turned to self-loathing for what he had actually considered doing. How blind he had been by his own desires and letting the hatred rule him like some newly formed fledgling who had not yet learned to think about the larger picture.  
He was a fool. 

Slowly Imperius sat up, looking out over the lake. One hand rubbed at his chest as he absently stared off, the red shade of his armor starting to fade. His thoughts once more felt like his own, no longer tainted by the strange desire for violence that had been creeping in. The reaction was…worrying. The wound left by Malicor was deeper than he thought as it did not feel like his resonance was aligning as it should. Agitation of any kind was…setting him off far too easily.

Inarius was right. By now, he should have recovered. Even the wound he had received from Diablo, egregious as it had been, had not taken too long to heal and had not left him feeling a burning ache constantly. That damable demon’s touch had been different somehow or perhaps, he had been too weak to battle its touch. That thought brought with it another wave of irritation and with it, another roll of molten discomfort through his form. He let out a growl, wings twitching as he more actively pushed against the sensation, trying to force it down and contain it.

Calm. He had to remain calm and just take the time to handle this sour note in his resonance. Just had to-  
There was a sudden rustle in the bushes followed by a loud thunk as something hit the armor of his shoulder. Imperius whirled about, his attention half on the strange metal protrusion latched onto him and the other half on the human glad all in black pulling the trigger on the device that had shot the protrusion. He didn’t get a single demanding word out as to what was going on before he was hit by a sudden surge of energy that tore through him, elicting a sudden shriek of pain. 

Intense agony coursed through the archangel and he spasmed, unable to even think as his wings flared out and his entire body trembled. The surges of energy that radiated through the device tore at his resonance, scrambling his core in a way no demon had ever achieved, making it impossible to form the will for flight, let alone vanishing away to escape. Imperius dropped to the ground, twitching and dazed wings twitched upwards and no longer tendrils as much as they were just a cloud of dancing sparks. His entire body felt heavy as his resonance struggled to pull itself together after the brutal sneak attack.

“Target incapacitated! Move in for retrieval!”

The sound of feet could be heard coming closer. The archangel struggled to understand what was going on, managing to push himself up with a groan and trying to get his bearings on the situation. Bright light filled his vision causing him to raise a hand to try and block it enough to see his attackers even as he reached frazzled sense out. He could sense these were not demons but mortals. They wore all black clothing, almost like armor and carried the weapons that Tevar called guns, although these ones looked different as all of them had the strange prongs that had been the original source of the powerful jolt. 

Anger flared up in Imperius and he let out a growl, already moving to get to his feet and causing his sudden attackers to step back as they hadn’t expected him to be able to get up again. 

“Target not down! Give another controlled shock! Angel anomaly 87 still active! I repeat, angel anomaly 87 still active!”

Imperius let out a roar of pain as the device in his shoulder flared again, dropping to a knee although he fought against the intrusion to his resonance, wings flaring as he reached up to rip it free from his shoulder and throw it to the ground, “You mortals dare attack me!? Do you not know who I am!?”

The response was two more clicks and two more of the same prong latched onto him. The shock this time was even worse and he spasmed, voice lost before he fell face forward again, wings turning a smoky black. This time, he was slower to rally his strength again, barely able to sort out the sounds of the world and the muffles of conversation. He could feel hands against him working to try and tug his arms back even as he sluggishly fought them.

He was confused, in shock that mortals were so easily able to incapacitate him with their strange weapons. But over all else, he was furious and the ball of hatred that he had been trying to contain, that unbelievable anger that had been gnawing at his core began to writhe. His wings flared and he once more found the strength again to push the mortals off him. The tendrils of his wings swiped forward, brushing the prongs off him as he staggered back, focusing his attention more on escape than confrontation.

These were mortals and he knew if he harmed them, Tevar and Aladria would not forgive him. Mortals became weird about the killing of others of their kind.  
Not to mention he was more alarmed at how easily they were bringing him to his knees when all the armies of Hell had never been able to. 

“You wretched fools! You will cease these attacks or I swear you will not survive this night,” He snarled, staggering back more, wings spread out defensively. “Go now and I may forgive your transgressions!” 

Before him, the humans held rank and closed in, not heeding his words and giving him no time to recover enough to vanish away. More of the guns went off, firing the prongs against his form. Imperius snarled, twisting and turning to push the prongs off, letting out another panged scream as the shocks continued, scattering his resonance over and over as he struggled to try and keep together enough to fly, to vanish, to just…get away.  
Not out of fear for himself no.

But from the burning hot madness starting to grow stronger with each shock to his being. His resonance was in a hundred pieces as he dropped to his knees again, no longer having the strength to stand. A raspy wheeze was escaping him and his wings once more sputtered like smoke. His armor was scorched in places from the devices and as he knelt there, practically burned out and feeling utterly weak, another human soldier approached with a new gun.

It was heavier set and larger and with a flick of a switch, it began to spray out a thick cloud of frigid ice. Imperius let out a groan shifting a bit only to feel his form starting to stiffen under the cold and he knew it wouldn’t be long until he was nothing more than a frozen statue and more than easy for them to move about. Their words made no sense, spoken in short codes and his entire being felt devoid of any energy. Above all else though, he could not understand why they were attacking him like this in the first place. He had not made any moves against their kind and he had certainly caused no trouble this night in his wanderings despite having the power to do so. 

He had done nothing and yet they attacked him, causing intense pain to his being and now, he could feel his form stiffening more and see them bringing vehicles about, no doubt with the intention of loading him in and taking him somewhere to be sealed up once more. They would imprison him again and that thought brought a surge of desperation and absolute hatred for these mortals that finally boiled over, breaking the last of the fragile restraints he had managed to cobble back together. 

Whatever his resonance had tried to contain finally burst and with it came a rush of new power, burning hot and heavy and bleeding out like molten lead from his wings.   
All he wanted to do then was make them all pay. 

Imperius surged forward, a howl of rage echoing from within him. 

The mortal who had been holding the ice spewing weapon screamed in terror as they fell back, the entire front of their chest caved in and bloody as Imperius dug his fingers into the flesh, rising to his feet. 

Pure malice surged off of him now, his wings burning darker, more molten as he trembled, shaking as small tendrils of black crept over the front of the breast plate. There were screams of alarm and already they raised their weapons to attack. The small movement was all it took to fuel the rage that had overcome the archangel. 

Another scream filled the air as he upon another of his attackers, all but picking the mortal up and throwing them across the ground. Bones snapped as they slammed across the ground, adding another lair of blood to the ground. The other attackers began to fire now upon the enraged archangel and he let out a malicious laugh as the pain did nothing to cause him to run and only to fuel his hatred of their petty attempts. He could feel the fear in them as he came charging at them, practically on all fours like some wild animal. 

The feel of the fear appeased the hatred in his soul as he tore through their ranks. Their blood spatter across the ground as they tried to fight back guns blazing and weapons going off as he tore them limb from limb in a horrifying show of strength and out of control rage. The feeling of it all was a dizzying, intoxicating high. Each scream and death seemed to bring with it a sense of almost euphoric bliss that had his resonance trembling. All that mattered was making them all die, all of them paying for the transgressions made. 

He only stopped when the last soldier’s skull was crushed beneath his foot with a sickening crunch splattering him in another wave of gore. The night fell silent save for the hum of the vehicles nearby and his own pants as he stood there for a moment, reveling in the death he stood in, covered in gore. Slowly his senses began to return and he began to take in the scene around him, feeling a surge of alarm. 

The carnage around him was something that was reminiscent of demon attack.

He took in a shuddering breath as realization started to wash over him and he looked down at his trembling hands. They were coated in blood and gore and hanging drips of stringy flesh. All around him was death, charred bodies, and not one of them were killed with a spear. He had slaughtered them with his bare hands.

The pressure in his chest had spread now, feeling like creeping pins pricking against his form. Slow realization was starting to settle within him as he began to put the pieces together as to what was wrong and what his resonance had struggled so much to contain all this time. He looked bout the clearing before his gaze settled on one of the vehicles, in particular, a mirror that extended from the side.

He moved quickly voer to it, grasping the mirror in one trembling hand and pulling it so he could better look at himself. In the low light provided, the archangel of valor confirmed the horrible truth. 

“No…”

The word was a hoarse whisper, a timid word of denial for what was shown to him in the mirror which was already cracking under his grip. He raised a trembling hand to trace over the dark tarnish of his chest plate and the webs of inky black corruption that had finally started to manifest when his will no longer had been able to contain it within. 

Now he understood why that awful beast Malicor had claimed their victory even as they lay dying. The foul abomination had managed to place a seed of corruption with him, one he had unwittingly let grow and fester with his own anger and hate and then further allowed it to grow with the added malice of Mephisto’s words   
It was suddenly clearer why Mephsito had sought him out. There was no bargain.  
He had come to ensure the seed of hatred would have the means to consume him and like the greatest fool in all of Heaven, he had stumbled head first into his trap, although he had nearly escaped if it were not for these mortal idiots who had caused his resonances to osculate so much, it allowed the seed to spread its roots. 

Imperius pulled back from the mirror, the shock settling upon him as he looked about the carnage, wrapping both arms about himself in poor effort to provide comfort. He stood their alone and trembling, his resonance silently wailing in distress, wings pulled close as if that alone could banish the corruption now rooted in his soul and fighting to spread against his will. 

He exhaled shakily one hand moving to press to his chest as he looked about the clearing. He wanted to scream, to rage against fate that seemed to do naught but deal him blow after blow. None of that would do any good now though. He glanced up at the mass murder he stood in before his gaze turned to the trucks, one hand rising up to rest against the symbol that was on the side of the vehicle. The letters I.P.E.F were painted on the side along with a shield and sword. Nothing about it was familiar and the symbol meant nothing to him. He felt though that it should given how organized and well prepared these mortals had been to attack.  
They had weapons that had been able to harm his resonance directly, causing it to break apart enough to incapacitate him much like Diablo’s attack on the arch had. Not to mention, he was apparently not the first angel they had managed to capture given they had refered to him as number 87. It could mean other angels were out there, as Mephisto had hinted at, captured and contained, either by the lord of Hatred’s hands, or through this mortal organization he knew nothing about. 

Tevar and Aladria though might know, or at least, know how to get the information. Ideally, he should fetch them and bring them here to check out the area for themselves, except, well…

Imperius shuddered as he looked over his shoulder at the carnage. He did not want the others to see this. As long as he could resist, keep control of himself, he could contain the corruption in his soul. If they saw this, they would think him already losing his mind and becoming more akin to a hell beast. The thought of being contained at all had a tremble of intense concern racing through him. He could not bring them here, could not show them of the violence he was now capable of. 

Imperius looked to the vehicle, fingers curling against the symbol before he moved along to the back of it, opening the door to peer in, seeing if there was anything he could gleam on his own as to the identity of these attackers.

His wings lifted in alarm and confusion at the mess of machines and glowing screens. Hundreds of odd lights blinked on large metal boxes and messages flitted across the screen that he could barely make out from where he stood, all of them requesting reports on the situation. All of it was mortal technology and he knew admittedly, beyond his understanding for now. 

Tevar and Aladria might be able to use it though but again, that would bringing them here.

Imperius stood staring at the array, trembling with one hand on the door, the other tracing over the dark blemish upon his armor before sighing softly. He could hide the carnage, but there was no hiding the tell-tale sign of corruption.

Tyrael and Inarius would know of what it meant but the mortals…  
At least for a little while, he would like them to believe he would be fine. 

He looked down over himself and at the blood still drying against his armor. No doubt his companions would ask about how he became covered in gore. Of course he could lie about a demon attack, but that would only mean a more elaborate lie would be needed and Imperius wasn’t about to fool himself thinking he was any good at that. Not to mention Tyrael and Inarius would detect the subtle deceit and ask about it. He looked over to the lake and cringed a bit. The surface of it was muddy with a growth of algae over the surface and he could only imagine how it probably smelled somewhat rank. Still, there were no other options quickly on hand and he found himself stepping into the water up to his waist, washing off the blood and ignoring the terribly unpleasant feeling of sucking mud against his feet. He spent a few moments trying in vain to wash away the black web-like blemish on his armor as if it could so easily be scrubbed off. With every pass of water though, it remained, a dark stain upon his soul. Once had gotten the last bit of gore off him, he slid out of the water, wings flicking out as he heated up, causing steam to rise off his form. 

He might not be covered in blood, but he now had a splattering of try mud over him and crusted algae as he approached the truck, placing his hand upon the side before he reached back towards Heaven.

In an instant he reappeared, dropping the drunk onto the floor. 

“Holy fucking sweet dicks of angels!”

Imperius glanced over, seeing Tevar sprawled out on the floor, eyes wide. “….what?”

“Fucking- Imperius! You need to just stop bring random shit home like this! And you nearly dropped that on me!”  
He snorted, looking about, “Where is Aladria?”

“With Inarius and Tyrael well…watching them.” He shook his head, “The two of them are doing some weird angel thing, tugging each other’s wings…”

“Ah. They are grooming….” He murmured, “Typical of angels to do, especially within the family unit or between partners.”

Tevar blinked, “Ah, well then. What does an angel even groom out of their wings?”

“It is a comforting thing. Like...” He huffed, shaking his head, “It isn’t important. It is just something comforting. Where are they?”

“Over on the other side of the gardens, by the big fountain pond thing.” Tevar responded. “I just came over here because wasn’t too keen on the nerd talk but uh… are you okay? You were acting weird earlier. Honestly, I thought you were having a heart attack and Tyrael says you were distressed over something.”

“I’m fine. I was just agitated about something.”

“You smell like pond scum.”

“I fell in a lake.” 

Tevar arched an eyebrow, “So…you just casually come back from Santuary, after somehow falling into a lake, and then just happen to find some military grade armored vehicle to bring back?”

“Everything you said is true yes.”

“I feel I’m missing something here.”

“Most likely.” Imperius tilted his head, “I’m heading over to the others. With the truck. I want you and Aladria to take a look at it.”

“The truck you found after falling in a lake.”

“Yes.”

Tevar looked between Imperius and the truck before shaking his head, “Fine. Let’s go then.” He said before putting his hand on Imperius. “But I still can tell you aren’t telling me the whole story.”  
“Believe what you will, Tevar.” 

With a thought, Imperius teleported them away to the more wild and overgrown parts of the gardens of hope. The plants here had survived but had outgrown their beds, looking more like one of the forest of Sanctuary now rather than the neat, perfectly maintained gardens they had been under Auriel’s care. The vehicle crashed against the walkway. The sound of it caused the three sitting at the nearby fountain to jump, looking over in alarm. 

Aladria looked up from the book she was reading, eyes wide in surprise and nearly dropping her pen and notebook she was using to take notes. Inarius looked up from where he sat hunched over Tyrael’s back, twinning the tendrils of the wings about his fingers and giving small tugs to help relax his brother until he was cursing as Tyrael sat up abruptly causing him to have a face full of suddenly squirming wings. 

“Imperius! What in the world-“ 

“That was my reaction!” Tevar huffed, “And all I got was he found it after falling into a lake in Sanctuary.”

Aladria blinked, “How did you fall into a lake?”

“That’s what I asked too!” 

Imperius let out a growl of frustration before slamming a hand against the side of the truck, “I need you both to enter this vehicle and tell me what you find it…the owner of it made mentions of tracking angels!”  
That caused both humans to jump and share a look, Tevar looking skeptical, “So you found it from a bunch of humans out in the woods tracking angels like Bigfoot.”

“It was... more concerning than a few humans.” Imperius murmured.

“And all this because you fell in a lake?”

“That is not important! Just…” Imperius growled, forcing himself to calm down as he felt a ripple of malice slide through his form, “Just look at it please.”

Aladria looked at the vehicle, worrying her lip before she quickly set aside her notes to come closer, “I’ll do my best but ah, I’m no hacker, just to let you know.”

“I’m good at pushing buttons. We will see if that helps….and I think you got a little pond scum on you still.” Tevar drawled, pointing to his chest, “You want some windex for that?”

Imperius tensed, a hand moving up to touch the mark of corruption for a moment before shaking his head, “No. I’ll…attend it.”

By then Aladria had come over, opening the back door of the vehicle, eyes widening as she peered in, “This is….”

“Some next level tier technology shit,” Tevar murmured. 

“I need you to examine it, find as much as you can.” Imperius said before turning away towards Inarius and Tyrael, quickly moving forward and putting a hand on both their shoulders, “I need to speak with you two, privately.”

Inarius jerked at the touch trying to pull away although he froze when he caught sight of the mark of corruption. Tyrael too tensed in alarm, his wings flaring. 

He didn’t give either a time to say a single word before all three vanished, appearing within Imperius’s private quarters where he quickly let go of both and stepped away.

“Imperius you are-“

“I don’t want the mortals to know.” Imperius interrupted quickly, “They will worry and want to focus on my predicament rather than this new goal at hand.”

Tyrael shook his head, “Imperius, you have to tell them this is-“

“You and I both are well aware what this is! You do not have to read the scrolls of fate to know what my end shall be now!” He snapped.

Inarius snorted, moving to take a seat, “I had a feeling you were blighted. I spent long in the company of the demons of hatred and with how you were acting….well, it seems your battle in Hell has left the worse kind of scar.”

“I’ll contain it for as long as I can. I will not simply give in to its touch.” Imperius growled. “Before it takes me, I’ll do all that I can to restore Heaven and to make sure Tevar and Aladria are attended to and their safety assured.”

Tyrael tensed, wings pulled in close as he shook his head, “No. It cannot be like this. Heaven be damned, I will not just stand aside and let you waste away to this! There has to be some way to expel it!”

“In all the history of Heaven, no angel that has become touched by corruption has survived, brother,” Inarius said softly, “All of them eventually fall to the evil and go mad, becoming beasts of Hell.”

“Izual is proof enough of that Tyrael. Even slaying and freeing his soul only led to him returning to attack Heaven itself,” Imperius raised a hand to trace over the mark, “I just do not want the mortals to know what this means.”

“You have to tell them Imperius. They will notice the mark will not fade and continue to grow.” Tyrael said quietly, “You cannot act like things are fine.”

Imperius let out a growl, feeling irritation rise but quickly pushed it down, taking a calming breath, “I will tell them eventually. They will be mad at me for keeping a secret, I am sure but… at least for now, can things remain as they are?”  
Tyrael was trembling, but nodded quietly, “I’ll hold my silence for now, Imperius, but if you do not tell them soon, I will.”

“Let them have their hope and happiness. I do not want my fate to hang as a dark cloud over their heads,” Imperius murmured, “For now, I can contain it and am myself. However, when the day comes that I lose my mind and become an instrument of destruction.”

His voice trailed off for a moment before he glanced up to Tyrael, “Don’t hesitate to cut me down and have my soul banished to the void. It is a fate more preferable than one where I may harm Heaven or the mortals.” 

Tyrael stood rigidly, his entire body trembling before he looked away, nodding stiffly, “If it…must come to that, I will see it done.” He managed to say, “But I will spare nothing to find a way to save you.”

“Focus on our goals, and not on me. My fate is assured.” Imperius snapped, stepping away to the balcony, gripping onto the banister as he gazed out over Heaven, “We have a new enemy to be concerned with, one that is mortal rather than demonic.”

Inarius gave a roll of his shoulders as he sat up, head tilted, “Does it have something to do with that armored vehicle you brought that you have the mortals combing through?”

“Yes. While I was on Sanctuary I was attacked by mortals. They had…strange weapons, capable of nearly bringing me to my knees. I managed to….free myself and took their vehicle with me,” Imperius murmured, glancing over his shoulder at the two, “They called me angel anomaly 87. They must have encountered, perhaps captured more of our people.”

“But why would they capture angels?” Tyrael murmured, “We have a treaty…”

“Times have changed Tyrael and mortal lives are shorts and their memory even shorter,” Inarius drawled, “Most mortals think we are legends, so I assume this group is privy to knowledge the rest of the world lost.”

Imperius just snorted, “Either way, they may have our kin imprisoned. We must find out where their stronghold is and attack it.” 

“What about your condition? Would not fighting rile it up?” Inarius asked. “Conflict tends to cause the corruption to spread faster.” 

“If the growth of this taint means the freeing of our kind and leading to the restoration of Heaven, then it is the sacrifice that must be made,” Imperius growled, “I am valor. My duty is to protect Heaven and to be its shield.” He glanced away, “I am not its leader, nor was I ever meant for that role. I was made to defend Heaven and in that role, I will gladly sacrifice everything. When I pass, the two of you will have to guide our people, if any are returned to us.” 

Inarius chuckled, “How ironic that I have gone from betrayer to heir of Heaven.”

“We will lead together brother.” Tyrael corrected, “You and I both know we are best when we work as one, not apart.”

“Two dysfunctional halves of one functional archangel, yes?” Inarius drawled. 

Imperius shook his head, “I swear if you two let Heaven burn again after my essence has parted, I will rise up from the depths of Hell to wring your necks.”

“It won’t ever come to that,” Tyrael responded, “We will find a way to overcome this and you will be with us to see Heaven rise again.”

Imperius snorted and shoot his head, “Ever the optimist…”

Tyrael looked away, “…I don’t want you to pass. Not before I set things right between us again. Even if it takes me one eternity, you cannot die until that has come to pass. This I vow.”

The words caused Imperius’s wings to twitch, nearly giving a flutter as he looked back over Heaven, ignoring the slight flush to his armor. The dislike rose up, but he idly wondered if it was more the corruption that was attempting to twist everything towards those emotions or truly how he felt. He raised a hand to rub at the dark spot upon his armor, shaking his head. 

“Fine then Tyrael. I’ll remain until we make our peace, although I do not see that being a vow either of us will be able to keep.”

“It will be.” 

The certainty of how Tyrael spoke made Imperius chucked softly, “Now I remember why Malthael made you an archangel. You always were good with those grand, confident speeches of yours.”

Tyrael laughed a bit, shrugging, “I suppose it is a gift.”

Inarius snorted, rising to his feet, “If you two are done awkwardly trying to both flirt and dislike each other in the same breath, maybe we should return to the mortals before they wonder what it is we are discussing in such detail?”

“We were discussing matters between angels that don’t concern them. That is all we have to say,” Imperius huffed. 

“Understood.” Inarius paused, dipping his head mischievously, “I’ll just tell them there was an attempt to make angels and you two couldn’t figure out how to put two and two together!” 

“Inarius!” 

The former prisoner was already darting out over the balcony, laughing as Tyrael gave chase, the two a pair of blurs. Imperius sighed, raising a hand to rub at his chest, “…He’s going to be the damn death of me…” he grumbled. 

A thought took him back to where Aladria and Tevar were, the former pouring over large binders and maps in some confusion but still stubbornly worked to sort out what was there while Tevar was clicking away at a computer, frowning some. 

“Any lucky?”

Tevar glanced up before shaking his head with a huff, “I’m trying but really it is all just coordinate s and shit here. Can’t get through any of the logins as I don’t know any of em. All we found are protocol binders on how to handle different entities….”

Aladria nodded, patting one of the binders, “All I can confirm is they do hunt angels and they seem to use some sort of disruption weapon to break what they call the “tonal aspect” and incapacitate them before freezing and taking them somewhere for cold storage and containment. But it seems they hunt all sorts of strange creatures. I saw entries on bogits, yetis, Khaza,… creatures we were only told are legend.”

“Maybe not so much legend as just all rounded up and kept out of the general population.” Tevar drawled, “Some major conspiracy shit here but as to where they are located and all that? We got nothing.”

“Well,” Aladria began, “Not entirely true…there seems to be some dig site they are protecting. They got some artifact they are trying to unlock. I found a picture in the van. Seems this group was dispatched from that location for a routine round-up…but ah, they probably didn’t realize it was an archangel.”

Imperius moved over to Aladria’s side crouching down, “Let me see this picture.”

She nodded as she handed it over to him, shaking her head, “I can’t make heads or tails of what it is…”

The archangel took the scrap of paper gently, regarding it carefully for only a few moments before shaking his head, “It is a timeless prison.”

“Timeless prison?” Tevar asked, leaning out of the vehicle.

“Mmm. During the eternal conflict, they were used to lock away demons as well as angels. For those locked within, no time would pass as they would be trapped in that single moment, impervious to harm until the locking mechanism was destroyed.” He shook his head, “It is strange that one would be employed on Sanctuary at all.” 

“So… what you are saying is these mooks are potentially poking at a demonic prison?” Tevar asked.

“Very plausible.”

Tevar squinted at Imperius, “And let me guess, you want to go poke said prison?” 

“It could potential have angels sealed within it.”

“But what if it is like some huge fucking evil demon?” Tevar huffed, “Then what?”

“Then I suppose we are going to have to set a tea party for it and offer it a warm welcome. What do you think we are going to do to it?” Imperius snapped. “I’ll slay it before it even has a chance to give its name!”

Aladria worried her lip, “Either way, it might be difficult to get close to the prison. They have weapons that could do harm to you, Inarius and Tyrael, especially if we just attack them full force.” Her finger tapped the protocol binder she had been reading, shaking her head, “And we can’t just overwhelm them with numbers.” 

“They won’t know we are coming.” Imperius growled, “A hard strike will suffice.” 

Tevar shook his head, “We need a better plan. This isn’t Hell. You don’t know what you are up against.”

Imperius silently fumed, shaking his head, “I am not fond of sneaking.”

More to the point, he was not good at sneaking. Such plans were where the angels of wisdom and fate tended excel. In combat of the mind, Malthael and Itherael often were the ones to come up with the plans for battle. The former more so than the later given the extensive spy network Malthael had at his disposal. There were even rumors that there were demon traitors in Hell that had been bribed enough to whisper damning information to the infiltrators. 

“Maybe Tyrael will be able to plan something?” Tevar suggested. 

“Tyrael is a worse planner than me and his rate of success….” He shook his head, “He has not had many successful solo plans that haven’t gone catastrophic.”   
“Then Inarius?”

Imperius paused, “I suppose. He did manage to steal the worldstone…”

“Where are they anyways?”

Imperius snorted, “Settling a dispute. Sibling one. No doubt one of them will be dunked or tied up or locked somewhere by the end of their little spat.” 

Tevar shook his head, “Reminds me of my siblings. You love em and you hate em. You can tell the two of them are related, even if they act differently.”

Aladria chuckled, “Do you think their sire would be proud of them.”

That had Imperius shaking his head, “Magtherius…. Yes. He would be proud of them I suppose.”

He could almost imagine what the archangel of virtue might even say about the two. Most likely laugh and join in on their antics as he had once done in the past with fledglings. It was not uncommon to find the massive angel tackled to the ground bye excited fledglings as he was known to take frequent breaks from his duties as ruler of Heaven to spend time with just about everyone.  
He even could remember Malthael, always slow to action and dour of mood, being the first to rush up to Magtherius’s side, chattering away and showing his mentor all the new thoughts and musing he had come up with in his meditations and the two engaging in rather avid discussions of philosophy.   
The only terrible memory that Magtherius invoked, was the moment of his death.  
Aladria noticed Imperius’s silent and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear, “I can find so little of him really. In the books in the archive.”

“Most of them were removed and put into storage.” Imperius murmured, “After his death, it was deemed that the past needed to be put behind and we had to focus on the future alone. I did not…agree with the move but I was not about to argue against Malthael about it.” 

“Wait…I thought Malthael was like his adopted son or something?”

Imperius nodded, “Yes. He did not want to dwell on his mentor.”

Moreover, Malthael had not wanted to let anyone know how much he grieved for the passing of Magtherius or the stress that had crushed down upon him to live up to the expectations of leadership set by his predecessor. He could never feel Malthael, never resonate as he could with anyone else and never knew what depth of emotions he truly suffered through.  
The only physical manifestation of grief he ever witnessed was when he was in battle, lashing out at every demon, hungry for their death and the extermination of every last one of Hell’s abominations. An obsession, turned madness that would consume him slowly. 

“It is a difficult thing to dwell on.” 

“Oh” Aladria looked down, “Sorry I brought it up.” 

“Its fine. I suppose it would be mention here or there.” He paused, titling his head, “Do you think we will find more information at this site about our enemies or where they may reside?”

“If not answers, someone we can at least shake down for a password or something to get into their system.” Tevar said with a shrug, “At the very least, will have more angels about if it does have some of your people there, then you can do proper lightsongs if there is enough!”

Imperius had to hide a wince, one hand moving to rub at the dark spot on his chest, “Yes….of course.”

They didn’t have to know that soon he would be unable to participate in a light song given the corruption was eroding his song. Note by note, it would wither away until he would become voiceless and eventually would have no means to speak to his own kind on a spirutal level. All that would be left would be guttural snarls and utterance of more guttural tones of the fallen. It would be at that moment he would beg for Tyrael’s mercy to slay him before he could cause any harm.   
“You sure you are okay big guy?” 

“Unsettled.” He admitted, “But we have a goal in mind now, something to focus on. That will improve my mood. I do not like to be without something to work towards.”

Tevar nodded, “understandable but ah…we are still going to go ghost hunting at some point right?” 

Imperius nearly told him no as they had other things to plan for, but a surge of guilt rose up within him mixed with a touch of sadness. A small part of him murmured that it might be the last time they would be able to do anything rather mundane like poking about some ruins.  
Everything could wait at least one more day.

“We can go right now if you wish.” Imperius finally said, “I am in hurry and who knows how long Tyrael and Inarius will be at it they aren’t back now.”

Tevar blinked before glancing back at the vehicle, “What about this?”

“It is not going anywhere. We’ll come back to it. Just ah…these places are remote yes? Forgive me, but I am still not comfortable with having to disguise myself as mortal.”

Not to mention he didn’t want whatever human group this was to show up and put them all at risk, especially the two mortals. Tevar paused to think before nodding, “Yeah, remote enough. Yo Aladria! Get your shit together, we are going ghost hunting with Imperius.”

“Right now?”

“So right now!” He said as he scurried up into the vehicle and rummaged around before coming out with a large military grade flashlight and clicked it on, “We are about to get spooky up in here!”

Aladria sighed and shook her head but couldn’t help but smile. She looked over to Imperius, tilting her head, “You sure you want to go now? We can wait until after we achieve our goal.”

He gave a shake of his head, “I’d rather now. I could frankly use a moment away from all this with just… just the three of us again.” He looked away, shoulders tensing, “I do enjoy your company. Both of you.”

“Aw, he likes us!” Tevar chuckled, “So, the place I think we should go this hunt is like, the most haunted place on earth. They say it carries a curse of dead souls upon it: The Deadlands.”

“The Deadlands.” Imperius repeated flatly, “That sounds utterly ridiculous. Are the lands actually dead?”

“Well, no.” Aladria murmured, “More like everything built on the land just ends up failing. First a village. Then a school. Then a hospital and then lastly a prison for a while…”

“Pretty much every stereotype in horror all in one place.” Tevar explained excitedly, “Add a bit of fog, a few spooky legends and you got yourself a haunted place.”

“And…mortals like to explore places like this?”

“It is a test of courage! And well… This one has been closed to the public as so many people since so many people have vanished…”

Aladria sighed, shaking her head, “He just wants to go tempt fate is all.”

Imperius tilted his head, wings flicking out, “Tempt fate….Itherael is not that hard to tempt…just keep quiet in the archives and deliver unto him some mortal books and he is tempted rather easily to look the other way on things.”

“Look the other way on what things?” Tevar question.

Imperius’s armor flared some and he shook his head, extending a hand to each, “Shall we go then? You have the directions?”

“On my phone yes.” Tevar said with a nod, taking a hold of Imperius’s hand, “Ready Aladria?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, as always,” she responded with a smile.   
Even with all that had gone wrong, of the betrayal and hurt endured and the weight of sorrow that came with knowing that now his time was limited, his death more or less assured now, he felt a small note of happiness within his soul. It was almost odd that two mortals of all things would be the source, but perhaps it was because in their company, there was no past to haunt them, no ill-will. They were happy, excited for every challenge, and always found a way to remain steadfast and resilient despite the odds against them.

It was an admirable trait that mortals possessed and perhaps…perhaps if he had known and been introduced to mortals such as Tevar and Aladria in the past, he might have been more inclined to believe Tyrael’s wild rants.  
That fact alone made him feel another stab of melancholy and a simmer of anger towards Tyrael and the council that he quickly pushed aside. There would be time to dwell on all that or more so, he wasn’t going to let his mind wander again to such thoughts. The corruption that burned its way through him did not need any more dark thoughts to fuel it and he would be damned if he wouldn’t last as long as he could.  
He took the mortals each by the hand and letting himself indulge in their excitement for once as he vanished away.  
One more good memory to cling to and cherish before the end.  
Just one more moment of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I can write happy things and fluff! Not everything is pain! Just wait, I swear you'll get some sweetness! Next chapter is gonna be a bit goofy though XD; 
> 
> Imperius needs like, a thousand hugs. Tyrael, get on that.


	14. Ghost Hunting

The so called Deadlands really didn’t seem to live up to their name, what with how overgrown with plants it was and the various wildlife that still wandered about. There wasn’t anything particular dead about it other than the decaying buildings and lack of a living human presence. To Imperius, it was nothing more than some abandoned little corner of human civilization, once more reclaimed by the wilds of Sanctuary. 

True he could sense lingering dead, sorrow, and perhaps a few darker souls lurking, but it was a far cry from the ruins of the past which often came with hordes of skeletons, guardians, and magical traps that unleashed waves of death. It was really rather mundane but the two mortals seemed excited to go trouncing about it as if it were some place with a terribly dark secret. 

Tevar had his flashlight dancing over the exterior of the large building at the center of the ruins that was the focus of what he called their “investigation”. From what Imperius surmised, they were supposed to document the activity of ghosts and prove it was haunted. Idly he wondered why the mortals called this ghost hunting if they were not actually trying to catch the ghosts or slay them. Whatever this was, it seemed part of the investigation seemed to hinge heavily on Tevar more or less talking into his phone as if he were speaking to an audience. 

“Hello everyone, this is uh…shit, can’t use real name.” Tevar paused in talking into his phone, brow furrowed before brightening, “This is codename M.C Clean who cleans up your demonic messes, your spooky spooks, and angelic armor. I’m here at the Deadlands, at the Infamous Worthmill Prison, once the Worthmill Sanatorium. With me aaaaare….”

He paused to swing his phone around towards Aladria, grinning, “Our lovely history lady, the lorekeeper. She is going to be making us smarter with all the facts and spooky history.”

“Tevar-“

“M.C Clean!”

Aladria sighed, shaking her head, “Fine, M.C Clean. What are you doing?”

“Making my own home ghost show of course. If we post this on the internet we will be instant celebrities of the paranormal.” He said with a grin before turning his phone towards Imperius.

“And what team isn’t complete without our physic ghost talking and feeling friend, Imperius. Archangel of Justice, “He turned the phone back to him for a moment, “He doesn’t do autographs or photos, so don’t ask or he’ll get cranky.”

“Why do you keep talking to that device?”

“Recording out trip!” Tevar said, pointing his phone forward, “I told you, we got to document everything!” 

“Do mortals actually enjoy this?” Imperius drawled.

“Duh. Spooky ghost shit is hugely popular and we are going to be the best ghost hunters because we got an angel with us. Or at least awesome guy in armor.” He chuckled before taking a few steps forward towards the entrance of the building, “Now, here we are, about to enter into these super haunted ruins, about to prove to you ghosts are real. Myself, M.C Clean, Imperius, and Lorekeeper. Speaking of which, lovely Lorekeeper, what can you tell us about this spooky location?”

Aladria sighed, shaking her head, but regardless, gestured to the building, “The central building once served as a school for juvenile delinquents before being converted to a mental hospital and from there, a prison. Each endeavor failed with reports of a high number of unusual deaths, often attributed to a curse upon the region. However, there have also been a lot of miraculous stories of survival, which some attribute to a more positive spirit.” She began, “A few sightings recorded are, of course, more famous.”

Tevar nodded, his expression one of feigned seriousness as they entered into the main foray of the building, “And what is the most famous spook of all?”

“The black angel.” Aladria said, doing her best to make her voice sound mysterious. 

Imperius cocked his head, “The black angel?”

Aladria nodded, clearing her throat as she straightened up, her tone like that of a museum curator on a tour, “According to witness reports that go back as far as when this place was still a small town, there has been sightings of the black angel, sometimes called the shade of death or the shade of mercy. To see it was a warning that calamity was going to come to you and yours, however, it also was a sign you would survive it.” She began, her tone becoming more excited as she explained the legend, “The first report is speculated to be a mother of two who saw the figure and then a week later, her home caught fire. All three were asleep inside and would have perished if not for the fortunate collapse of a wall that allowed for them to escape. More tales have endured, all linked to spotting this tall dark figure, the black angel. In time, some people who were afraid of misfortune coming to them would actively try to seek out the black angel to ensure they would survive.”

“…sounds like a delusion.” Imperius murmured. 

“Well we are here to see if it is a delusion, a ghost, or…” He paused, lowering his voice, “Something else more sinister!”

Imperius snorted as he stepped forward, pushing open the door, “There is no evil here. I feel only a few lingering souls.”

“You heard it from the archangel himself. Spooks confirmed.”

“Just human ghosts.” Imperius huffed as he stepped in, wings spreading, “There is just sorrow here…”  
“Sad spooks confirmed.”

Aladria shook her head as she peered about, shivering a bit, “…is there a reason they linger?”

“Human souls don’t have a place to truly go. Their energies linger before dissipating. It is an effect I suppose of having partially demonic origins.” Imperius murmured, reaching out his senses, “Terrible ends and other traumas tend to cause the human soul to attach and linger until they are put at ease.” 

“Do you think maybe…we could do that?” She asked quietly, “Put spirits at ease?”

Imperius tilted his head, considering her words, “Yes, it would be possible… part of helping angelic souls to be reborn is to first allow them a time to find peace. The courts of justice served that purpose until Tyrael’s departure…”  
“There you have it. We aren’t just ghost hunting, we are ghost therapists and going to help these spooks move on and lift the curse of this building,” Tevar said to his phone, “But ah, how do we get the spooks to come out.”

“Well,” Imperius drawled as he moved forward, “Stop talking so loud and scaring them for one… the child in this room thinks you are frightening.” 

“Huh? What child?”

Imperius shook his head as he moved to gently push the flashlight and phone down, “Stop flashing that around and don’t just try to see, feel it.”

The archangel turned away from the confused mortal man, tilting his head, carefully feeling out the energy he had felt before slowly moving across the room towards a pile of rubble in the corner of the room. He had felt the small presence when they entered and could feel the fear coming off the trembling spirit as it regarded them with no idea of who they were. He carefully reached out with his resonance, allowing his own fearlessness to trickle into the soul as he crouched down so he would not loom over where she hid.

“No one here will harm you, little one. You may come out.”

The two mortals were silent, eyes fixed on the spot. For a moment there was nothing. Then the air shimmered and a translucent, blue soul emerged, dark eyes wide and blood trickling down the nightgown from wounds hidden under the hospital gown she wore, but it was unmistakably a child. She stared at Imperius for a moment before reaching out to touch his armor, her eyes widening as her hand did not pass through the archangel.

“….are you an angel?” 

“I am.”

“Have…you seen my mommy and daddy?”

Imperius gave a small shake of his head, “I have not.”

The little ghost looked down sadly, shuffling her feet, “Oh….”

Tevar shook his head while Aladria smiled, neither of them speaking a word as they continued to watch the exchange. 

“Are you looking for them?” IMperius asked, holding out a hand. 

“I think so…but I don’t think they are in this scary place.” She said softly, looking about before moving to put her much smaller hands in his large one, “There are scary people here. I hide from them…I want to go home.”

“Then go home little one. Just follow the light.” Imperius gave a small gesture towards the door, “All you have to do is leave.”

The little ghost looked to the doorway, fear in her features and she gripped Imperius’s hand a little tighter, “What if something scary comes?”

Imperius paused before rising to his feet, still holding her hand, “I’ll go with you. Nothing terrifying will dare to attack me.” 

She nodded gently, shuffling along at his side, “Okay mister…”

The two made there way across the room, Imperius having to bend over just so he could continue to hold the tiny mortal spirit’s hand. Once they arrived at the doorway, she paused, looking nervous to cross the threshold before looking up, “I’m scared. What if mommy and daddy aren’t there?” She asked softly.

“You’ll be fine. You’ll find them.” Imperius assured her, “You just need to step forward. It is time to let go.”

The ghost of the girl gave one more squeeze to Imperius’s hand before letting go and stepping forward. Her torn, gaunt face scrunched up as if she was looking into some sort of light, before her eyes widening, “Mommy? Daddy?”

The spirit shimmered and then in a flash of light was gone. Her energy finally releasing from the bonds that had kept it routed her. Imperius stood there in the doorway for a moment, waiting until the last traces of energy had vanished before turning back around, wings tensing as he noticed the two mortals staring at him, “What?”

Tevar let out a soft chuckle, “Look at you, ya big softy.”

Imperius snorted, “You said you wanted to help guide them to the other side. I was merely showing how it is handled with lingering angelic souls.” 

Aladria smiled, “…I think it was sweet.”

The archangel raised a hand to rub lightly at the dark spot of corruption, wondering what the mortal would think if she knew the truth or that he had, for a moment, considered a deal with Mephisto himself. 

He doubted she would find him so sweet then.

“There are few lingering entities in this place. I feel nothing too malevolent, at least, nothing truly evil.” Imperius murmured as he turned away from the door. “It should not take long if you wish to get them all guided over.”

Tevar sighed, “For such a legendary place, there doesn’t seem all that much here. Do any of them feel like the dark angel?”

“Only human spirits here. Perhaps it simply left.” He grumbled. “If it were some sort of demon, with ho humans around, there would be no need for it to linger without anything to feed upon.”

“Maybe can ask the ghosts about it?” Tevar ventured with a tilt of his head, “Where the black angel went.”

Imperius let out a sigh shaking his head but nonetheless raised his voice, spreading out his resonance in an effort to let his words ring out to every soul he could in the building that still lingered, “What do you know of the black angel?”

There was a sudden rush then, as if his words had caused a few of the spirits to become agitated. Not aggressively so, but as if they had something to say. They were sudden about them, whispering and murmuring, peering from just beyond walls and around corners. Imperius jolted, wings flaring. Beside him, Aladria shivered, “Is it me or did it get a lot colder in her?”

The mass of spirits here was heavy, some of the souls that comprised it far older than the building or the land it stood on it felt. Some of the spirits were decayed, barely formed mutterings while others were more lucid, trying to speak louder over the din of the others in loud wails. The two nephelem weren’t aware of the energy, neither of them as sensitive yet to such energies as their ancestors had been. Tevar though was looking about, teeth chattering, “Why do I feel like we are being watched now?”  
“That is because the spirits are all here. They are trying to say something.” Imperius murmured. 

Tevar looked about, not able to see them, only feel the chill of the souls surrounding them. He could not hear the whispers upon the air that had Imperius cocking his head, trying to parse their words.

“So…what are they saying?” He finally asked. 

“Hard to say when you keep talking to me.” Impeirus growled. “Quiet.” 

Tevar raised his hands up and took a step back, going silent. Aaladria was pale, eyes wide as she watched Imperius stand their silently, head tilted, listening to something only he could hear. 

These spirits were a mix of many generations, some ancient. All of them though were attempting to speak at once causing it to sound like a babbling mess. Not a single soul seemed to be saying the same thing and the archangel felt himself flaring a bit in irritation, although he forced himself to remain calm.  
A few words were there. Angel was repeated many times. Dark as well. Here was the other word he was picking up.

“Was there an angel here?” Imperius finally asked out loud, trying to get some more cohesive answer from the mass of souls. 

The spirits fell silent, before a single voice spoke out, broken, but at least clearer, “Here….Angel. Yes.”

Tevar looked to Imperius, “An angel was here?”

“The spirits here seem to say so…” He murmured, wings flicking out before turning to where the mass seemed to linger, just above them, “where are they?”

A single word echoed back, “Gone.”  
Not a very in depth answer and it had Imperius sighing and rephrasing his question. 

“Where were they?”

There was silence for a few moments before the spirits began to move, all of them creeping back through the walls and into the hallways, although it was a slow pace, pausing a few rooms away as if waiting for the archangel to follow. Whatever was here, the spirits seemed to want to show rather than speak of it. Imperius squared his shoulders before stepping forward, Solarion called to his hand.

“They want us to follow them.”

Tevar groaned, “…this suddenly went from ghost hunting therapy to horror movie quickly.”

Aladria sighed, nudging Tevar forward, “Yes, except pretty sure Imperius would cause any serial killer or ghost to quietly excuse themselves from the room to get the next pair of dumb humans wandering into danger.”

“True enough, but still… we came here to just have a good old time and then…we got mystery.” Tevar grumbled, “We always find something when we go out.”

“Well, truth be told, this was the most haunted place in the world.” Aladria pointed out as she began to head down the hall after Imperius, “We were expecting to find something big.” 

Imperius shook his head at the banter although his attention was on the spirits. His curiosity peaked as he followed the trail of souls deeper into the building. The path they took was not straight forward, zig zagging through a maze of rooms before leading the way down crumbling stairs into the moldering basement of the place. The way here was more crowded with old furniture and long discarded shelves of items and in place, they were squeezing through gaps one at a time just to keep on the trail of souls. 

Eventually, in the furthest corner of the basement, just beyond a long unused coal closet, the spirits came to a brief stop around a gaping hole that had opened up when a part of the wall had collapse inwards, revealing a natural cave system below the building. For a moment, the spirits circled the opening before starting to creep down into the dark.

Imperius did not hesitate, coming up to the opening and looking in, reaching out to try and see if he could sense anything. “They want us to go down.” 

Tevar shivered, “…great. A gaping hole into nothing. Reminds me too fucking much of Mephisto’s house. These spirits are just trying to get us killed, I swear.”

“It isn’t evil…” Imperius murmured feeling some sort of energy lingering below, “This place feels cold… but almost familiar though…”

The energy that radiated up was not very recent, but it was strong enough to indicate an extended residency deep below. The energy had a chill but nothing about it could felt, no emotion lingering as was the case with demons and angels.   
Well, almost all angels. There had been a branch of his kin that were unable to be felt and left no emotional imprints upon the land they tread.

He tensed now wondering just what this dark angel might have been and wondering if it was gone as the spirits said or they were bound to what he feared lurked below. 

“We are going down.” He said, turning to the other two, holding out a hand, “Once we reach the bottom, stay behind me.” 

“Is a demon?”

“No.” Imperius murmured as the two put their hand in his and he stepped back into the darkness, “It may be a reaper.”

“A reaper?”

“A fallen angel of wisdom who feeds on the dead.” Imperius murmured, “They were said to have been all slaughter, but a few could have slipped through to find dark holes to call their own.” 

“…is it dangerous?”

“Possibly.” Imperius responded as he stepped back into the dark hole, holding both mortals close.

His wings flared as they began to float down the uneven walls of the passage. In the light of Imperius’s wings, the stone seemed a patchwork of various colors, all covered with the dampness of trickling water.   
Tevar frowned, eyes narrowing as he reached out to run fingers along the side of the wall as they passed, “Something isn’t right about this passage. The stone isn’t right. It isn’t anything I’ve ever seen….and I’ve had my head stuck in mines all my life.”

“What do you mean?” Aaladria asked. 

“The rock is porous, like volcanic rock, but here! See? This is normal earth, then switch to this strange shit. The strange crap was impeded here a looong time ago.” Tevar explained, “We are moving in and out of pieces of a much larger rock chunk. Like moving about a meteorite or something.”

Imperius found himself turning to regard the stone now, feeling it out and realizing something about it resonated back dully, as if it contained energy within itself. Something about that was achingly familiar, although he couldn’t seem to place where he knew this rock from. The narrow passage soon opened up into a larger subtteraean cavern with faint pin pricks of a dull glow in the dark and the faint sound of rushing water. Imperius quickly set the two mortals down before raising solarion higher, allowing the blade to start glowing brightly to banish the dark and reveal the area around them.

All three of them tensed at the sight that greeted them as the darkness was dispelled. 

The rubble of a huge structure was here, the style of it looked more akin to something of Heaven, although it had the twisted influences of Hell upon it. The rough stone was caved of the same dark-grey porous rock as above and water poured down over some of the column, having long since carved small rivers that led into pools at the base. IT did not seem like it was a hole structure though, more a piece that had broken from a larger piece and had hit Sanctuary with great force, given it was crumbled and collapsed at the base. Yet there below one of the trailing rivers, a rather large hole stood, looking like it was made by the hands of some burrowing creature or demon, not by natural means. 

“What is it….?” Tevar murmured. 

Imperius was silent, his form tensed as he took in the structure, barely able to believe what he was staring at, “…Pandemonium fortress or…at least a part of it.”

It only showed how great a force the power was that destroyed the realm between Heaven and Hell if pieces of it had been thrown through the barriers into Sanctuary directly. Slowly he approached it, sliding a hand over the battle-scarred stone as he moved towards the gap. The feeling from before was only stronger here. It felt almost angelic, warped and far too silent, and the spirits were drawn to the energy, which only made him suspect more and more one of Malthael’s surviving reapers might have taken residence within.  
If there was a reaper within though, the mortals would be at great threat of their dark energy. 

“You two wait here. I will call you if all is clear,” He murmured, glancing back at the two.

“Five minutes. “Tevar responded with a huff, “Then we are coming in after you.”

Imperius shook his head with a sigh but did not argue with the mortal, realizing more and more they tended to do as they pleased and there was no point fighting mortal fancies when they had that stubborn look in their eyes.  
“Five minutes then.” He murmured before he carefully maneuvered his way through the gap and into the interior, spear in both hand as he cautiously made his way forward. 

The passage was peculiar and given the marks on the wall, it was more apparent that the tunnel wasn’t made by someone digging in, but by someone digging their way out. It seemed that the reaper must have gotten trapped when the fortress was destroyed and had spent a time just trying to get out. Along the wall were markings, as if counting days or periods of time, as well as haphazard notes scratched out in meticulous handwriting into the stone. 

Imperius paused at one of these markings, his hands sliding over it and feeling he had seen the hand-writing before, although the stone warped it enough to leave it still rather unfamiliar. Nothing that was read in the notes indicated identity though as they were mostly just counts of time. Eventually the make-shift tunnel opened up to a room, completely contained without windows or doors, broken apart in places, but relatively intact. The earth had collapsed in through cracks, more or less turning it into a make-shift prison for whatever poor soul had been contained within.

It seemed though, the former resident had not sat about idly in their prison. 

All the walls were covered in writings, like that of a madman, but upon closer inspection, Imperius realized someone was simply writing out the laws of Heaven, snippets of poetry and stories, and even some vague notes here and there pertaining more to their captivity, although most of it seemed to have been damaged by bullet holes and large slashing marks across the wall as if made by some sort of weapon. Both were signs that some sort of battle had taken place here. 

Imperius looked about, straining his senses to feel if the Reaper was still there, but felt nothing, but the powerful, lingering aura that remained in this room. The spirits were drifting about the room lazily, crawling up over the walls and moving about into the corners of the room, a few crouching in the eaves to peer down at Imperius. They all seemed to be waiting for something and when he failed to notice, a few rushed forward, crawling over the floor to a pile of rubble at the far end, circling it giddly. 

“Here. Here…” 

“What is here?” He asked.

“Here. A Part.”

Imperius heaved a soft sigh of relief. If a part of the reaper was here, it meant they were dead and some part of their form had not disintegrated or they had left behind some lingering scrap of flesh. The spirits though continued to call out, more than a little insistent that he dig through the pile to retrieve whatever was there. The archangel shook his head, before crouching down and reaching out with one hand to start gently digging through the rubble.   
He expected to find some meaningless treasure or some trinket that would confirm the death of whoever had dwelled here.

Instead he found the handle of a weapon. 

A terribly familiar weapon. 

Slowly, not even believing his own eyes, Imperius wrapped his hands about the silver etched handle of the weapon and pulled it forth from the rubble and held it up. The light of Solarion glinted off the familiar silver designs upon the crescent of the weapon’s blade. It was a deadly hand scythe, of which only one angel in all of Heaven had ever used. 

“Malthael…”

He felt the roll of shock over him mix with alarm and confusion. The weapon he knew without a doubt but it was said to have been destroyed along with Malthael himself. He had seen the twin pair of scythes disintegrate with their master as they had been nothing more than an extension of the archangel of wisdom’s essence.   
The scythe of Malthael should not be here, still formed, not unless its master still lived. 

“It can’t be…” Imperius murmured, rising to his feet, looking around quickly for the partner of the scythe he held, “Someone must have forged copies…”

But he could feel this scythe was no poor imitations of Malthael’s chosen weapon. It was quietly thrumming with a great deal of power that felt more cold, very similar to the child wisdom angels seemed to exude. Not to mention Imperius could see the familiar lines of augmentations he himself had forged to increase the balance and deadly killing ability of the weapon. He held in his hand one of the weapons of the mad angel of death, the former archangel of wisdom.  
If this weapon had manifested and was still here, it meant Malthael was alive.  
Alive and free in this new world.

The legends about this place, the death and misfortune that colored it and the legends of the strange dark angel, all rushed over Imperius as he search the room, looking for anything that could confirm his suspicions. All there was were the markings on the wall, which he now realized had a striking resemblance to Malthael’s own handwriting, and the signs of battle. The long gashes in the wall matched the curve and strike pattern of the scythes, connecting the weapon at least to whatever had taken place in the room. The spirits lurked about aimlessly now, murmuring and chattering, almost as if waiting for his next move. 

The archangel came to a halt, tensed and agitated as he again looked over the room, “Where is the other scythe?”

“Gone…”

“Gone where!?”

“With him.”

“And where is he?” Imperius demanded. “Who is he?”

“They took him.” The spirits moaned and then grew even softer, “They’re watching.”

“Who?!” Imperius shouted, feeling his temper flare with the broken responses of the spirits.

The spirits did not answer in words, merely floating up to drift about a small pin prick of red light in the room. In the blink of an eye, Imperius teleported to the light, reaching to grasp onto the small black device off the wall. It was some new human technology, one he had never seen before. He looked about and now, could barely make out other small red dots. Alarmed, he wondered how many they had passed on the way here without knowing. 

What he did know though was that these devices, somehow they functioned as eyes for whoever had come in here to take Malthael.

From the sighs of bullets on the wall, reminiscent of the guns he had seen humans use, he had some ideas of who had done this. 

“How long ago did they come?”

“Years…”

Imperius growled, letting his hand tense, crushing the device. Not recent enough to intercept then. All of them might even be dead given that Malthael had found a way to feed upon souls for more power and energy. There was no way of telling what had happened, if Malthael was still wandering free, or where he could be now. All Imperius knew was the rather useless fact that the former archangel of wisdom was without one of his weapons. A frustrated growl escaped him before he moved quickly back up the passage and to where the two mortals stood, Tevar stepping back as he had just about to enter, “Anything?”

“More than anything.” Imperius growled holding up the scythe, “Possibly some terrible news for your world.”

“….what would that be?” Tevar asked, eyeing the scythe.

“Malthael may be alive and given what he did last time he was here….” Imperius’s grip tightened on the hilt of the weapon, “That is not good news for you mortals.”

Aladria’s brow furrowed, “But if he was here…then…why wasn’t there mass death? Well…I mean this place had a lot of accidents but…”

“I don’t know.” Imperius growled, wings flaring in agitation, hiding a wince as he felt the tendrils of corruption seem to write in his soul, a silent warning for him to check his aggravation, “I don’t know and I am sick to death of finding all these...pieces of things with no idea where to even begin to put it all together and know what is going on!” 

He nearly threw the scythe in anger, catching himself at the last moment. He looked down at the weapon before letting out a growl and handing it off to Tevar. The man grunted, nearly dropped the heavy weapon, needing both hands just to hold it.  
“Guy must have had huge arms to swing this around one handed,” Tevar grunted inspecting the weapon, “Was he in?” 

“No. It appears something capture or drove him off.” Imperius murmured, shoulders tensing, “And whoever did this may very well have been watching us. I found some strange metal box with a glass eye and red light which the spirit seemed to indicate were watching us.” 

“Tiny red light watching us…” Tevar murmured, glancing to Aladria, “Cameras you think?”

“Sounds like it might be, but who would want cameras down here?” She said, brow furrowed, “Unless they were expecting someone to come this way.”

“Or thinking someone might.” Tevar frowned, “Either way, it may be best for us to get out of here and get back to Heaven.”

Aladria nodded in agreement although she paused, “Do you think…it might be those people that attacked Imperius?”

“Seems likely. They would have the technology.” Tevar said as he put a hand on Imperius’s arm, “What are your thoughts on all this?”

“It was human no doubt. There are holes in the wall similar to that of these gun weapons humans use.” Imperius glanced back down the path over his shoulder, feeling the spirits creep along, aimlessly in their wanderings, “But Maltahel is dangerous and…he was not well last he was alive.”

“Not a good combination there.” Tevar sighed, “Just more problems it seems.”

Aladria worried her lip, “Maybe…back at the armored vehicle, there might be something?”

“Maybe…” Imperius murmured, although he was doubtful of that. 

He turned his attention to the spirits and gave a nod as he moved to wrap an arm about both of his companions, “Thank you… I know not if he bound you here or if you willing kept to this place, but what you revealed will be taken care of. You all deserve to move on. We will handle the rest.”

With that said, he surged upwards, his grip tight about the two as they ascended. Tevar clutched the scythe, tucking it in close so as not to catch along the uneven stone of the wall and from there, Imperius vanished again, teleporting outside rather than waste time in navigating the basement. He felt the spirits follow, rising up around them with a myriads of happy cries before they dissipated into nothing, finding their peace at last. Below, just beyond the gates set up to try and keep trespassers out, Imperius noticed a series of large vehicles pulling up and snorted. 

The warning of the spirits that they were being watched seemed to have come at a perfect time. A single thought though whisked them away from the approaching danger quickly and back into the sanctuary of Heaven. Imperius came down on the ground again near the armored vehicle, letting the two mortals down.  
Mere moments later, Tyrael landed, half jogging up to them with a shake of his head, “There you are! I was looking all over for you. Where did you three go? By the time Inarius and myself came here-“

The archangel of justice went rigid as he saw the scythe Tevar was holding, flinging back as if heh ad been stabbed, “That can’t be-“

“It is Tyrael.” Imperius responded, looking over at the weapon. “I know my own craft. Malthael is alive, either free, captured, or somehow contained.”

“None of those options are comforting.” Tyrael growled, “We have enough issues with demons running lose upon the world, least we need is that…that madman trying to end the world!”

“Whatever the case, the only path forward seems to be these human fucks,” Tevar interrupted, jerking a thumb to the armored vehicle, “They might be the common denominators and all we got is a timeless prison or something.”

Tyrael’s wings were tensed as he shook his head, “Malthael should be a priority…”

“We have no way of knowing where he went. If this human group is indeed connected to the capture of angels, they would at least know who would want to also capture our people and to that extent, who might have come after Malthael.”

Imperius though was worried. Mephisto’s words haunted him still. The demon said he had angels captive. Could these humans be working with demons, and if so, was it possible they would work together with Malthael to capture others? There was no telling what mental state Malthael was in, how he had even been brought back from the dead, or what he might do.

“He is dangerous.” Tyrael murmured softly, “We can’t have him walking around.”

“I know but what can we do?”

Tyrael tensed, before glancing away, “If I even hear a rumor of where he is-“

 

“We will investigate it and we will bend all resources to find him.” Imperius interrupted, “For now, we focus on the task at hand. Aladria and Tevar have discovered this organization is attempting to open a timeless prison. It could be demons or our own kind. Either way, a strike against the site may provide us with more information of this foe.”

“They call themselves the International Paranormal Eradication Force…. Or IPEF. Doesn’t have a nice ring to it, you know?” Tevar murmured. “Could have come up with something better.” 

Aladria sighed, “Only you get bent out of shape because an acronym doesn’t sound nice.”

“Where is Inarius?” Imperius asked, glancing to Tyrael. “Of all of us, he would be the best choice to…plan the assault. The mortals are convinced we have to be more careful.” 

The other archangel looked sheepish, although there was a hint of mischief to his body language and in the playful flick of his wings, “Hanging about…”

Imperius sighed, resisting the urge to rub his face and now understanding what his lieutenant Ignaceus must have felt like having to handle the unruly mob of valor fledglings, “Where did you wing tie him?”

“Wing tie…?” Aladria asked.

“You can tie an angel’s wings together with your own wings…and leave them stuck somewhere. Not for long of course unless…you tie very good knots.” Tyrael explained. “And I tie excellent knots.” 

The archangel of valor just shook his head, although he wasn’t surprised by the admittance. Even back in the golden age of Heaven, the two brothers had constantly been up to such juvenile games with each other. Tyrael though had always been the one more prone to it. He had always had a…wonder about the world akin to that of a fledgling that he seemed to have never grown out of.   
At one time, it had been something that had endeared Imperius to the other angel, feeling like he didn’t have to be so serious around Tyrael and that he could relax. That they could sit back and enjoy a lazy day with no fear of judgement and feel the world melt away for a moment. 

Those times though had long since passed between them.  
“Aladria, Tevar, bring Tyrael up to speed on what you have told me and what we found on our impromptu ghost hunt. I’ll go fetch Inarius.” Imperius murmured.

Tevar nodded, although he let out a sigh, setting the scythe down on the floor of the armored vehicle before hauling himself up into it, “You know, why is it when we go out, we nearly always seem to run into something potentially awful? Before you know it, next time we go to the Triune-mart, we are going to fucking find Diablo shopping there, buying milk and eggs or some shit.”

“Given that the Triune was once a cover for Diablo’s cult, it seems a possibility,” Tryael said with a chuckle.

“If we see that,” Tevar shook his head, throwing up his hands, “I’m just going to assume I am dead and this is my coma dream trying to wake me the fuck up.”

Imperius shook his head at the man’s outburst, chuckling some before he vanished away, reaching out to sense Inarius’s aura. With no other angels in Heaven but himself and Tyrael, it was easy enough to find where Tyrael had tied his brother. The poor former prisoner was dangling from one of the spires of the halls of chastity, arms crossed and looking very dour. 

The archangel of valor wasted little time in moving up to balance on the ledge beside the stranded angel, reaching up and easily tugging loose the knots, “Seems Tyrael has won again.”

“When it comes to a matter of brute strength, he got Greed’s share of the treasure, as they say,” Inarius drawled, “I’ll get him back though for it.”

“I’m sure. At least may I ask for you to wait until after we have a plan for our next move.”

Inarius inclined his head, as he was set free, moving to flit back down to the floor, “Oh? Have you found a new goal.”

“A few. For now we are investigating atimeless prison that a mortal group that hunts angels seems interested in.” Imperius gave a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned away, “The mortals will explain when we get there.”

“Mm. I see.” Inarius fell into step behind Imperius, “Honestly, I’m surprised you are still working with my brother after his betrayal. Or with me in fact. Neither of us have done you any favors in terms of trust.”

Imperius shrugged, “There is not much choice. You have done nothing of late to cross me.”

Inarius chuckled, folding his hands together, “Honestly, I’m quite enjoying being your favorite of the two of us,” He admitted, “In the past…you were always so fixated on only Tyrael. Everyone thought the two of you would become partners and share in a duet. Always sitting together in the times between battles, holding hands even…wings twining… the fledgling you would have made would have been something to see.” 

A slight flush rose to Imperius’s armor and his shoulders tensed. With the embarrassment was a rush of pain, reminded of how close he was to the angel that he now caused such intense dislike, “That was a long time ago. Whatever was there is long gone.”

“I can only imagine the pain that comes with a lover’s betrayal. It is a feeling I know well myself,” Inarius murmured, taking a step closer, nearly brushing shoulders with Imperius, “But as you say, that is the past and the future well…”   
Inarius raised a hand to trace over the traces of corruption that lay like a badge of shame upon Imperius’s chestplate, “Your time is limited now, but it does not mean you cannot be a part of any future we build.”

Imperius tensed, looking down to the finger tracing over his chest, “Do not tell me you share in Tyrael’s naïve optimism.”

“I do not. You know that. I’ve always been of a practical mind,” Inarius retorted, the finger tracing upwards, “But… you did rescue me and even with this curse upon your resonance, you still work to build a future for Heaven. A new one not bound to the wars or laws of the past.”

The finger paused just at the top of Imperius’s breastplate as Inarius stepped closer into the other angel’s personal space, “We could make Heaven anyway we want now. Nothing is stopping us. Have you ever given that thought?”

“…I have.” 

The conversation with Mephisto crept into his mind, causing him to tense, feeling a tinge of suspicion grow in him. Inarius just let out a small chuckle.

“You are fond of the mortals.” He said softly, “So why restore Heaven at all when we could have all of Sanctuary as our own? All the laws of Heaven and those that dwell her have done is just betray and abandon what they see as unnecessary. Don’t we deserve better? Don’t you deserve better?”

“It matters not either way.” Imperius murmured, “I’m lost.”

“Maybe. But not right now.”

A hand slid up to cup the side of Imperius’s helmet and he felt him tense all over again at the rather intimate gesture, feeling Inarius press in a bit closer. The other angel was doing nothing to hide the hum of affection as he leaned in closer, wings gently prodding at Imperius’s own as if testing the waters. Pulling away when Inarius’s own danced away rather shyly.

“Just think about it Impeirus. We could make things as we want and before it is too late, a lightsong could be attempt, angels of our own cut could be brought forth. There is no need for us to allow Heaven to remain so empty You and I have the capability to rule over Heaven.” 

“And what of Tyrael?”

“What of him? He’s a free-spirit. He will flit off to find some mortal cause. As long as he’s given a bit to gnaw on, he’s easily cowed. He is not the type to be happy ruling over others,” Inarius said softly, “Besides, you don’t even like him.”

“And I like you better?”

Inarius chuckled as he stepped back, “I would like it if you did. A new world with your power driving it would be better, safer, more drawn to the light and in a better position to undo all of the intricacies of Hell once and for all. This conflict needs to end. I do not wish to be wrapped up in another eternal conflict, do you?” 

He extended his hand to Imperius, “I just want you to consider it, while you still can. Why deny yourself any sense of companionship and remain apart and lonely because of a start to corruption? You can be happy Imperius.”

The words were sincere and smooth as silk but to Imperius, there still felt like there was something so utterly false about them. Inarius looked out for himself. He was selfish and the silver tongue he was blessed with was always put to terrible use. 

Not to mention the way he spoke, the promises and ideas he put forth felt like the same promises Mephisto had made. Imperius almost felt tired that as of late, he was becoming more and more the pawn in the games of power others play. A sigh escaped him as he stepped away, shaking his head.

“I’ll think about it.” He murmured, although he made no effort to do so, “We will see how things are. New pieces have arrived to the game to be considered.”

“Oh?”

Imperius turned away from the other angel, one hand rising to rub at the mark of corruption across his breastplate, “Malthael may be alive.”

That caused Inarius to tense, “Are you sure?”

“I have no reason to doubt this fact.”

Inarius fell silent, tensing a bit, “We will have to hunt him down and make sure he stays dead.”

“That is what your brother said.”

“It is true.” Inarius gave a small shrug, “He is mad and more trouble than he is worth. Not to mention his wisdom was always so…desperate. Always staring into that chalice like a crutch rather than finding it with his own words. I bet he never had a real piece of advice to give that he actually believed, just spewing what his little cup told him.”

Imperius tensed just a bit, glancing over his shoulder, “He led Heaven well when he was of sound mind.”

“You tell yourself that, but the day he began to rule Heaven was the day everything started to go wrong. He was not fit to rule. He did not have the compassion, the ability to speak as a ruler should. He was no Magtherius. He shut himself up inside his own head and drove himself mad trying to actually prove he could lead.” 

The archangel of valor tensed, looking at Inarius for a long moment before turning away again, “He wasn’t Magtherius no. But neither were you, Inarius.” He growled before he vanished away.

Inarius would come eventually to see what was going on and then they could plan, but Imperius found he did not care for the conniving, prideful company of the other angel. Something had been twisted in Inarius and broken. He spoke of Malthael’s madness, but in the former prisoner, Imperius feared that a different kind of madness had been left to brew and was just barely being contained behind a façade of calm.  
It did not comfort him at all. 

Imperius appeared once more in the gardens, one hand still rubbing at his chest as he looked over to where Aladria and Tevar were sitting with Tyrael, looking over some of the binders found in the vehicle, all of them looking so avidly engage. Tyrael’s wings were lifted up slightly, indicating curiosity, although the ends twisted and twitched belaying his excitement to learn about what was in the books. 

Tyrael was not wisdom, but he had always had a thirst for knowledge. He had always been curious about things, wanting to learn and understand the world. It was perhaps why he had become too keen about mortals to begin with, the short-lived race did so many odd and strange things after all, it was only natural that they would cause curiosity to rise. 

He felt that once familiar budding warmth as he took in the sight, reminded of far better times, although the dark hate in his soul loudly reminded him of the betrayal and how if it came to it, Tyrael would be willing to sacrifice him again for his own goals and that all his words were lies to comfort his own guilt.

How Imperius ached to be able to trust Tyrael again and let go of this hurt.  
He gave a shake of his head and moved over towards the others. 

There wasn’t the time to waste on such thoughts, not with his own life on a much shorter timeline and so much still left to do and things to unravel in this ever expanding mystery. They would need to take the timeless prison and discover more about this group and perhaps find a way to confirm if Malthael still lived and if so, where he was. 

Still so many questions and lose ends to take care of and far too little time to do it all.

He let his hand drop from his chest, straightening his shoulders.

Maybe he had only a little bit of time left, but he would make sure it was just time enough to see it all through to the end. Just enough time to make sure Heaven, this time, would be safe and thrive.

Even if he would not be there to see its restoration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are coming together quickly now > u > The chapters going forward are going to be more action packed, let me tell you what!


	15. Breaking Point

“I do not like this plan.”

“We know Imperius. You haven’t liked it since Inarius lined it out for us.”

The archangel of valor shifted, his armor flushing a shade of orange as he did so, “I do not like all this…sneaking.”

Inarius didn’t look away from where he was crouched, wings completely extinguish to hide all light as he carefully regarded the perimeter of the work site through a pair of binoculars, “You asked me for a plan that did not involve your usual finesse and I came up with one.”

“Everyone else wanted a plan like this. I wanted to just attack the place.” Imperius grumbled. “Sneaking around in bushes, just sitting and watching….”

Tevar chuckled and Aladria shook her head as she reached over to gently pat Imperius’s arm, “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll get the action you want.” 

“If all goes well, we will be able to keep any fighting to a minimum and be in and out,” Inarius said as he lowered the binoculars, “And I must say, I quiet like this human device. Such a clear idea of what is there without having to get in close.”

Imperius held back a groan of irritation at Inarius’s words, his shoulders hunching as he glared into the darkness around them, “I can’t even see anything or know how this plan of yours is going to work.”

The former prisoner let out a long-suffering sigh, shoving the binoculars to Imperius, “Stop your grousing for a second would you? I told you befre: Mortals aren’t entirely without intelligence. They do set up patrols to make sure the perimeters are safe, perhaps even hidden eyes. If we can pinpoint where they all are, we can make a strike, take out a few of those individuals and then take their place via disguises. From there, should be able to bypass security and enter into the heart of the complex.”

“I don’t like this plan.” Imperius once more snarled as he lifted up the binoculars carefully.

“Is it because you got to wear a mortal disguise?” Tyrael drawled, arms crossed as he sat leaned back against a tree. “Or the fact that you can’t simply destroy everything?”

Imperius didn’t respond although is wing struts let out a few errant sparks of anger despite his best attempts at keeping his temper in check and keeping his wings doused. Instead, he focused his attention on the device that had been handed to him, peering through it at their target. The humans had put up a fence of some sort that crackled at times with energy and extended something of a field making it difficult to fly in. No doubt it had the same energy used in their abdominal weapons. There was movement of guards coming in and out at a checkpoint, patrolling into the forest while others kept guard at the perimeter fence, guns in hand. Beyond those defenses was the lit up dig-site with a central tunnel delving deeper into the earth. The prison, by all accounts, would lay at the bottom of that tunnel.

It was getting in and to it without calling every mortal in this group down upon them that was the only difficult part about this venture. 

Imperius huffed as he lowered the device, handing it back to Inarius, “I still think it would be easier to strike them at the center.”

“Sometimes the best path to victory is not the easiest. Isn’t that something Magtherius always said?” Inarius drawled, tucking away the binoculars.

“He said a great many things. He also said keep things short and you’ll be happier for it.” Imperius retorted.

“Not to interrupt but ah, you know where we are striking first?” Tevar asked, squeezing himself in between Inarius and Imperius, “And how are we going to get the jump on trained soldiers fast enough that they realize we are there?”

“That is the easy part.” Inarius lifted a hand, gesturing into the dark, “We have three humans set apart keeping still as three man teams patrol. Those three prone humans seem to have some sort of long looking gun, so I assume it is for hitting at a distance meaning they can watch from a distance, thus need to be removed first.” Inarius paused, giving a nod to his brother, “Tyrael will take those ones out. Once he gives the signal, I’ll move in to incapacitate the patrol. Then you, Aladria, and Imperius will take the place of the patrol.”  
“Then we just walk in like no issue when the guard switches and we get the patrol route inside.” Tevar murmured, “So just have to hope it all goes as planned.”

“It will as long as no one lashes out and throws a hissy fit,” Inarius drawled, glancing over at Imperius.

“I do not like your plan but I will not sabotage it either. I will do what is necessary,” the archangel of valor growled., “I will follow through.”

He lifted a hand subconsciously to rub at his chest some, a habit he had started to pick up. His fingers were tracing over the dark blotch that had only grown a little more apparent, the uneven edges of the stain spreading more web-like markings over the rest of the armor. Tevar glanced up at the movement huffing some. 

“You should really let me get some cleaner for that spot. I know you seem attached to it, but it really ruins your whole look, Imperius.” He grumbled. 

Imperius tensed, fingers curling against the corruption before he forced himself to relax, letting out a gentle huff, “It requires a…special kind of cleaning that I haven’t had time to do.” He murmured, “We are wasting time. Let us get this done with.”

“Get done with it, then clean your spot,” Tevar grumbled. 

Imperius ignored the mortal’s grumblings though, glancing to Inarius as he rose to his feet. The former prisoner looked to Tyrael and gave a silent nod which was returned as Tyrael got to his own feet and was soon darting off through the forest, not a sound following in his wake.

Tevar gave a shake of his head, looking impressed, “I didn’t know someone wearing full plate armor could be stealthy like that.”

“Tyrael is light on his feet and he is good at precision hits.” Inarius murmured, staring intently into the dark. “Give him but a few moments to handle this.”

Imperius shifted, unable to keep still, keeping his gaze on the dark landscape before them. Only the dig site was lit up like a beacon in the yawning darkness and he did his best to keep still. Yet it felt like the seconds creeped by more like agonizing hours for the archangel and every noise, every tiny rustle of the leaves in the wind had him twitching with the desire to move or do something. This sort of business was unbecoming of an angel of the host of valor and his every instinct was to simply rush in and be done with what they came here to do. He already felt they had delayed things too much by taking a day or two to even plan out their next move, and of course, argue back and forth endlessly about how to go about tracking Malthael. 

At the very least, they had agree to discuss the matter of the former archangel of wisdom when they had more of a lead or even more concrete information other than the vague sightings of dark figures. Especially when it seemed that nearly all of humanity would have seen Malthael if “tall black figure” was the only description they were going on.  
Imperius jumped a bit when Inarius began to rise to his feet, glancing up just in time to catch the faint flash of blue, “There’s the signal. Let’s go.”

Imperius held back a sigh as he began to move forward after Inarius, taking great pains to remain as silent as possible, although he knew that the former prisoner far outpaced him in that endeavor. Inarius was almost a shadow slipping between the foliage. Tevar and Aladria followed in Imperius’s wake, doing their best to keep quiet and he was at least comforted in the fact that the scholar was just a little louder with her sneaking than he was. 

Each step forward though grew tenser and soon Inarius held up a hand for them to stop, and without a word, Imperius crouched down, taking as much cover as he could. He could see the light of flashlights dancing through the trees as a patrol silently approached. It took a mere thought to bring down an illusion about his form to help him to blend in against the dark foliage. Inarius though had more skill in the matter as he all but went invisible as he carefully scaled up a tree beside the path, and slowly inched along one of the boughs that extended over the path. There was something almost reptilian in how smoothly the angel ascended and clung to his perch. From his back, smokey tendrils began to slide out, his wings coming forward, their glow muted. 

Inarius was poised on the branch, wings arched as the patrol passed just below him, unaware of what lay just above. The strike was almost too fast to follow and the patrol barely managed out a gurgle before tendrils were wrapped about necks, hoisting them up off the ground. There were a few secons of struggling as the men kicked and thrashed before going still. Once they had stopped moving, the tendrils slipped away from their necks, letting the bodies drop to the ground. Tevar winced, rubbing his own neck as he came quietly forward, “Are they….”

“Not dead. Merely unconscious.” Inarius said as he slid down. “We are avoiding bloodshed, as per your request, but enough talk, the three of you need to get in uniform.”

Tevar nodded, already starting to strip two of the guards while Imperius went to the third one, nudging them over with one foot. He shudder in repulsion but nonetheless focused on the figure. Slowly a disguise fell down over him, although he had more than a few flaws given he had really not done this until a day or two ago. He had spent time trying to practice copying Tevar and Aladria’s appearances with little success but it was assumed that in the low light and wearing an all-black uniform, the mistakes of his mortal disguise could be easier to pass. 

It didn’t make Imperius feel less unclean as he looked over the gloved hands as he stood more at eye level with Aladria and Tevar now, “Is it passable?”

“Cover the mouth. Your word aren’t matching the mouth movements at all.” Tevar murmured as he slipped on the helmet and adjusted the com.

“Watch the eyes. Orange isn’t normal.” Aladria whispered. “and hair doesn’t grow that way.” 

Imperius grumbled, moving down to slip off the guards helmet and slipping it on as he adjusted his disguise to wear a black mask up over the mouth, “Better?”

“There you go.” Tevar chuckled, hefting up the gun with the flashlight on top, “Let’s go then. Remember, we are just some goons finishing up a patrol. Nothing else.” 

“Make sure to cut the line to depower the fence so Tyrael and I can get over. We will meet you at the entryway into the heart of the dig site.” Inarius said before he turned, darting off into the night.

Imperius clumsily held the gun, not liking how it felt and already aching for his spear again, “Let’s get this over with.”

Tevar gave a nodded, although he paused to adjust both Imperius and Aladria’s grips on the guns, “Let me do the talking. You two just stand there and look menacing and act like you were trained for this.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Aladria murmured, clutching the gun tight, “I probably don’t even look like I know what I’m doing with this thing.”  
Imperius huffed, shoulders tensed, “These weapons feel so odd to hold. So…poorly designed.”

“Just hold it casually. Act like you do this sort of shit every day.” Tevar murmured as they moved forward along the trail, “We can do this. We memorized all their codes and protocol.”  
Aladria nodded, inhaling and exhaling, “Yeah. Yeah we got this. We’re professionals.” 

“And if it fails, I will just do things my way. You are in no danger.” Imperius murmured, hating so very much how he had to think about how a human mouth was supposed to move. 

Speaking in such a crude manner was so unsightly. He had no idea how Tyrael could put up with that as a mortal. He was already missing the use of his wings to light the way and having to rely on the poor mortal substitute. Not to mention the pace they moved at was so slow, it was making the night feel even longer. 

They fell to silence as they continued to move forward and it seemed to take an eternity just to return to the trail head and the security booth that sat there. The guard in the booth glanced up and gave a nod as they passed by, each of them badging themselves through with their stolen identification. The whole time, the tension was palpable. Aladria was tense, barely containing the shake of her hands as she moved by and Imperius had to hold back his own reaction, trying to keep his shoulder’s relaxed and now painfully aware that he should have practiced the art of disguise more and convinced he would be spotted in a second. Tevar was the most relaxed, acting as if this was another day and even giving the guard at the booth a two finger salute of greeting after he had passed.

The whole time Imperius was waiting for the guard in the booth to call them out or for him to notice some flaw that would give away the ruse and have the whole camp falling upon them. Even as they walked away, he was waiting for it, clutching the mortal weapon tight and resisting the urge to look over his shoulder for any kind of sneak attack. 

“Relax guys.” Tevar murmured softly. “We are in. Now just need to cut that line…”

“Where is it?” Imperius murmured as he moved up beside Tevar.

The mortal didn’t turn his head to look about, not wanting to make it seem like he was looking for anything. He kept his pace casual, giving the barest turns of his head, “Fence is to the right. Wires might be buried but they have to trail off the fence at some point. Look for a black box with wires out the bottom. When you see it, that’s what we need offline.”

Imperius gave a subtle nod, keeping his gaze forward although he watched the perimeter out of the corner of his eye. Ahead, he saw a protrusion of some sort with dangling wires like black snakes just below that were linked to the ground. The archangel didn’t pause as they passed by, merely flicking out a finger in the direction of the bock and letting out a quick, errant spark of energy which severed the wires in the blink of an eye.

To any outside observer, the action wouldn’t have even seen, let along linked to their passing. As they turned away from the fence to start trailing the path inwards, Imperius could feel the resonance of Tyrael and Inarius surge up behind them briefly before moving in opposite directions and getting work. Across the camp, one of the lights suddenly flared brighter with a whine before the bulb exploded, causing guards to turn to investigate, only for other lights began to do the same thing. There was sudden bang and hiss as the generator set up topside sputtered out, one of the guards there cursing as they turned to inspect the device. Imperius hear a voice crackling in his ear and nearly jerked the helmet off before he realized it was some device speaking to him. 

“Bravo, keep on route. Technical issues will be delt with.”

Tevar reach up to touch the side of helmet, pressing a small switch, “Copy command. Continuing our patrol. So far nothing out of the ordinary other than electrical issues here.” 

“Ten-four. Keep posted patrol Bravo.”

Aladria glanced about, jumping as another series of lights began to go out, “The two of them work fast…and silently.” 

“Distraction seems to be working though. Com chatter is getting busy.” Tevar murmured as they moved toward the entrance, “Once we get in, we probably will only get a few minutes more before they realize we’ve gone dark.”

Imperius tensed as they started to approach the entryway, reaching out to feel if there were any mortals close by. For now, it seemed most had went off to investigate what was going on, leaving only the guard posted at the door. As they approached, the guard raised a hand. 

“What are you three doing here? This isn’t on your route.” 

“No, but thought we saw something over this way,” Tevar responded smoothly, “Strange shadow. You didn’t notice it?”

The guard shook his head, “Haven’t seen anything all-“

The guard went down as Tyrael all put pounced him, pinning him to the ground and knocking him out with a sharp blow to the back of the head. Inarius was soon there, quickly snatching up the guard’s key card. The door chimed, the flickering light going green before it slid open with a soft hiss. 

Imperius was quick to enter, followed by Aladria. Inarius only paused to drag the mortal in with them while Tevar and Tyrael glanced about, making sure no one had seen the incident before slipping inside, closing and locking the door behind them.

Once the door had shut, the group was plunged into darkness as the light systems had been knocked out in the earlier distraction.

Tevar frowned, squinting into the blackness, “Did you have to cut all the lights?”

“The power source had to be tampered with and I was ah, not sure which wire would do what.” Tyrael said, wings lighting up.  
Imperius let out a growl, quick to pull off the helmet and shed the mortal disguise, wings flaring out, “That was an all-around unpleasant experience. Give me the swarms of Hell over having to do that again.”

Tevar just shook his head, starting to follow Tyrael down the passage, “The weirdest things get you all bent out of shape Imperius, I swear.” 

“It is not odd that I don’t like playing mortal!” Imperius retorted, “Not like some angels.”

“Oh you are fine now.” Inarius snapped, “Stop fussing like a fledgling and let us get to this prison.”

Imperius flared a bit, a heated objection already starting to burn up his chest before he stopped himself, letting out a little snarl and shook his head. One hand raised to his chest again as he followed after them, feeling the corruption seem to boil slightly in response to the tiny flare of temper. 

It was not an encouraging feeling that even the smallest little thing was no affecting how the taint was spreading through his being. 

The walk down into the dig site was long and silently and there didn’t seem to be any trace of late-night workers. There were no guards this far down either, most likely due to the fact there was only one way in and out of the tunnel. Ahead, there was light again in the tunnel, a faint blue light that danced off the walls more like it was reflecting off water. Before they had even reached the bottom of the passage, the energy that was coming from the core of the prison could be felt, humming loudly and causing a prickling sensation against Imperius’s being. Not an unpleasant sensation, but one that had him tensed. That much energy could only mean that the prison contained some rather powerful essence within. 

“We should be ready for a fight after we open the prison possibly.” Inarius murmured, wings arching out some, “This one seems to hold a prisoner or a few prisoners.”

“Not a comforting thought.” Tevar murmured, edging to the entryway into the main chamber, “I suppose we can just pray for once we find something friendly.”  
“We can hope.” Imperius murmured.

The group passed silently into the main chamber, soon bathed in the bright light of the active prison. The mortal group had entrenched themselves around the structure as equipment was scattered about and a few labs were set up, machines pulsating and humming as they quietly recorded results. Yet the timeless prison dominated the room with the blue field that extended from it and the slender crystalline nexus that rested at the centered and generated the field. It was clear the mortals had tried a number of methods to undo the prison, as the crystal bore signs of minor damage, but it was clear no one had thought about the obvious method of opening. 

After all, it was merely a flick of the locking mechanism but Imperius supposed they weren’t as familiar with the artifacts of Heaven to know where that even was. The group stopped just shy of the shimmering blue field and Imperius glanced to Tyrael and Inarius.

“I’ll unlock the prison. Be prepared for any attack.”

Tyrael nodded, tightening his grip on El’druin while Inarius crossed his arms, “This is the part of the mission we brought you for anyways. I’m sure your straining at the leash to murder something.”  
Imperius snorted, wings giving a dismissive stretched as he turned towards the prison, “Aladria and Tevar see if you can find anything on those human devices.” 

“Got it.” Aladria said, already moving to one of the stations, “We will see what we can dig up.”

“Dig up and download,” Tevar said, holding up a small, slender device, “Just got to find the USB port so we can steal some information.”

Imperius gave a nod and inhaled deeply, stretching his wings out before stepping forward towards the prison. His entire form was tense, buzzing with energy as he stepped into the field and approached the center, already reaching out to place his hand against the side of it. The locking mechanism hummed in reaction to his power as he reached out, resonating with the structure. There was a brief louder hum and the glow of it increased before with a cracking sound, the prison began to break open, releasing a torrent of energy out that started to coalesce into the shape of a single. That fact had Imperius tensing, spear called to hand as he idly wondered if they had just set free one of the demon lords of Hell. 

Yet as the figure began to emerge, all worry of this being a prime evil or some great demon bled away and he found himself lowering his spear in disbelief.

“Itherael! By the arch’s light, is it really you!?”

The figure jerked, looking up as the light faded away, revealing the familiar grey robes of the archangel of fate, his sword clutched in one hand and looking just as ready to attack as Imperius was, “Imperius? How…”

“It is a very long story.” Imperius responded, standing down. “I am just glad to see you alive!”

Itherael looked towards Imperius, wings tensed although he lowered is blade. He seemed about to speak before his wings jerked upwards in surprise as Tyrael and Inarius stepped forward, the former of which had his own wings perked up in a sign of excitement. 

“Tyrael? Inarius? How can this-“ The archangel of fate shook his head, lowering his sword with a soft sigh, “I see much must have happened while I awaited my freedom. Many a peculiar thing by the looks of it.”  
“Trust me, it shall on grow more peculiar from this point forward.” Imperius murmured, ““The world has changed a great deal since the time of my fall.”  
“ How long have I been locked away?” 

“That is a hard question to answer, brother.” Tyrael responded with a shake of his head, “But it could be millennium.” 

“I see…” Itherael murmured, pausing as his gaze fell upon the dark stain of taint upon Imperius’s chest. He tensed again once more in alarm, his voice quavering now as he spoke, “Imperius you are-“

Imperius shook his head, quickly interrupting the other archangel, “We will speak later of it. Come. We need to leave this place. Our time is short and the mortal group around us is exceedingly hostile to our kind.”

The archangel of valor turned, already moving towards where the two mortals were busy working over one of the strange devices in the cavern. Itherael stood there a moment, wavering on his feet before lightly he lifted off the ground, hovering after Imperius as he looked about, “…a most curious set up. I have not seen this before.”

“The mortals have developed quite a bit more technology.” Tyrael said, coming up beside the newly released archangel, “It is good to see you Itherael.”

“It is good to see you as well Tyrael but ah, I am surprised to see you given we buried you in Tristram.” Itherael responded, glancing over to Inarius, “and it seems your brother is free?”

“Oh yes. After suffering for so long.” Inarius drawled, “It is so good to see you Itherael. Just as well-spoken and frazzled as ever.”

The archangel of fate flinched, fidgeting a bit and refusing to look towards the former prisoner, “Ah…well… I’m…glad to see you too.” He managed to murmur out, although his tone didn’t sound entirely sincere.

Tyrael gave a warning flick of the wing towards Inarius which earned a huff from his sibling, although he refrained from any additional, snappish comments. Imperius’s attention though was on the devices the mortals worked on, stepping up beside Aladria, “Anything?”

“More than before. We found a password to get into some of the files.” She said, pointing to a post-it note that had been retrieved from under a keyboard, “Have more reports, better idea of a few locations. At least a bit more to go on.”

She trailed off some as Itherael came up behind them, head tilted curiously as he leaned forward closer to inspect Aladria and Tevar,“These nephelem are different than the ones before… I thought you said the mortals near us were hostile?”

“They are allies and friends,” Imperius responded. “The group that set up all of this is our enemy.”

Aladria looked up just as curiously at the floating archangel while Tevar just arched an eyebrow, “And you are who exactly?”

“Oh, pardon my manners. I am Itherael, archangel of fate.” The newly freed archangel dipped his head in greeting, “And you are?”

Aladria’s eyes widened and she was practically vibrating as she stepped forward to offer a hand in greeting to Itherae, “The archangel of fate, the keeper of the archives! I- well… I didn’t ever think I would get the honor of meeting you in person! I have read so much about you in the archives and your work on the history of Heaven, just the way you detail your narratives…!”

Tevar snickered some at Aladria’s greeting, shaking his head before returning to the monitors, typing away on the keyboard, “Fangirl much?” he said under his breath, although the mortal scholar seemed to all but ignore his words, only giving him a small nudge of her elbow.

Itherael’s wings gave a fluttered as he let his feet rest against the ground, reaching out tentatively to return her handshake, “You’ve read my works mortal?”

“I’ve read quite a few in the archives! Everything is so well written and really, it is a scholar’s dream!” She said, giving an excited shake, although she looked away sheepishly, “I might have made a slight mess of the archives, taking out so many books and scrolls for reading, but I suppose it has been just exciting to read through so much history.”

“No no, it is quiet all right! I really don’t mind a little mess when it is in the pursuit of further knowledge, but ah…” Itherael raised a hand up to tug lightly at the hem of his hood, a habit he often did when nervous, “…may I have your name?”

“Oh! Aladria Cain.” She responded sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head, “And this is Tevar.”

The mortal man didn’t bother to look up, giving a two finger salute as he continued to click away on the computer, “Sup.” 

“Well, a pleasure to meet you, Aladria Cain,” He paused, wings flicking out, “By ah, any chance are you related to a Deckard Cain? I have heard he was an excellent scholar, one of the best of the Horadrim.”

She gave a small laugh, “If he was from your time that might be more generations back than the family records go, “She responded, “Perhaps though you have some of his work? I would be most interested in reading that!”

“Mm. I think we do have a Book of Cain in the archives. Not the original, but I did have scribes transcribe it I believe. If you enjoy that, we have some other excellent work by mortal scholars from the region of-“

“I do not wish to interrupt you, Itherael, but there will be time to discuss such matters when we are safe in Heaven,” Imperius drawled, his tone somewhat amused, “And I’m sure that Aladria will be hanging on to your every word as much as she has been devouring the words you’ve written.”

“Ah, my apologies.” Itherael murmured with a sheepish duck of his head, “I do have a tendency to ramble.”

“You are fine.” Imperius glanced over to Aladria, tilting his head, “Did you find anything interesting in what you’ve seen so far?”

The scholar blinked before flushing and clearing her throat, shuffling back over to one of the consoles, “Not much.” She admitted, “Mostly all that is here is data about the prison and monitoring the energy. Locations and reports that are sent out. That sort of thing. They only mention that this matches angelic energy they have on record.”

“There is too much to go through currently,” Tevar said, tapping away at the keyboard, “I’ve pulled off nearly all of it to the flashdrive at least so we can then shift through all this information at our own leisure. Just need a few minutes so Aladria and that new floaty archangel there can continue to nerd out. Not gonna lie in that it is sort of, kind of adorkable.”

“Nerd out?” Itherael murmured. “Adorkable?” 

Aladria flushed, giving a smack to Tevar’s shoulder, “Ignore him. He likes to just say things.”

Imprius turned away from the group, his attention towards the passage they had taken to enter the area, reaching out to feel for any sense of humans coming down towards them. He was tense, feeling that for once they had made a small victory, and not only that, but one that may lead to answers. After all, who would better know of what became of Heaven than the very archangel who had taken it upon himself to record everything about their history down to be shared with future generations? 

There was a bubble of hope once more, although it was tempered by the concern that at any moment, the whole plan would fall apart. 

“Where are the others?”

The question caused Imperius to glance back as Itherael turned to Tyrael to speak, “Two archangels and your brother…it seems odd that no one else is with you. Are they elsewhere?”

Tyrael looked away, “There….there are no others. When I was brought back by Imperius, Heaven was empty, a ruin in places. We are all that is left currently.”

Itherael tensed, wings raising as he looked away himself, back towards the timeless prison, “Ah…I see. That is…unfortunate news but given what was happening it is not entirely unexpected.”

“You expected this?” Inarius asked, tilting his head.

“Things were…not well in Heaven after Imperius fell, even worse when Tyrael was murdered.” Itherael murmured softly, “So much was falling apart. It is…a complicated story but I had hoped Auriel would be able to salvage the situation. I left Heaven only briefly before I entered temporary confinement well…I suppose it wasn’t entirely temporary…” he sighed, shaking his head, “Pardon, I’m rambling again.”

“You are fine Itherael. Shock is expected,” Imperius said, reaching to pat the angelic scholar’s shoulder, “But I am more curious as to why anyone would lock you up and for what crime could you possibly earn a prison sentence?”

Itherael laughed quietly, “If you think I was put here for a crime, I will assure you now at least, that is far from the case. I was to stay here for only a few moments while the area was secure against attackers. It was for my own safety, so I was told.”

“Already this story sounds like it is going to take many an unwanted twist,” Tyrael murmured.

“Just as the stories you two have of this place will no doubt be as well.” Itherael returned with a soft chuckle, “Of how we all ended up crossing paths again and well,” He looked over to the mortals, “How some opinions held in the past seemed to have changed.”

Imperius knew what Itherael spoke of and his wings tensed before relaxing as he glanced over to where Tevar and Aladria were talking low to each other about something, no doubt discussing what they should and shouldn’t be pulling off the computers. Truly without them, he wouldn’t have gotten far and most likely would have already been captured or worse by now.  
He raised a hand to touch over the corruption. 

He might have even played right into Mephisto’s desires to burn all of Sanctuary under a new eternal conflict if the two of them were not there to make him even consider that mortals deserved their world. 

“Got the data. Let’s bounce!” Tevar said, causing Imperius to look over to him. The mortal gave a thumbs up gesture and Imperius found himself returning the gesture even though he was wondering why a gesture used to indicate the death of a warrior in combat duels was being used.

“Bounce?” Itherael asked, wings perked up curiously, “That is a strange way to say to leave.”

“Mortals say many strange things.” Imperius grumbled, already turning to lead the way out. “Especially that one.”

“Strange but fascinating things. I did always want to get a closer look at them. Well, a closer look in more peaceful times, “ Ithareal commented, “Mortals and nephelem are a curious creation.” 

Aladria smiled, falling into step behind Imperius and glancing to the new archangel to join their ranks, “Well, if you’ll tell me more about Heaven, I’ll certainly return the favor to tell you more about our world.”

“That sounds lovely. It has frankly been ages since anyone asked me about the history and culture of our own people. Well,” He let out a sigh, shaking his head, “At least the parts of history not about stories of war and barely passable facts.”

Inarius let out a sigh, shaking his head, “Even the war stories were not that particularly interesting, especially when you told them.”

Itherael inclined his head up a bit, wings giving a distinctive twitch of irritation, but the scholar did not respond to Inarius’s words. The slight tremor of irritation at least was a bit better than the waves of anxiety Imperius could feel rolling of the archangel about the situation he had come to find him in.

He could feel concern directed towards him about the fact he bore the mark of corruption and no doubt there was anxiety as well over what could have happened. How Itherael spoke, the scholar seemed to know more than Tyrael, but certain details still seemed lost. What disturbed Imperius about it all was it was becoming more and more clear that his fall from Heaven and the choice to leave him sealed had just been the first of many choices that began to lead Heaven towards a steady decline. All they needed to do now was get out so he could sooth the ach in his resonance to know what story Itherael had to relay.

At least now, the plan was simple going forward. All they had to do was to leave the door and take to wing, returning to Heaven and from there. The way Inarius had explained it, this part of the plan was the simplest part, as well as the fastest. 

That though, was perhaps only Inarius’s hubris speaking earlier for as they ascended upwards, Imperius could sense more and more mortals ahead of them, just beyond the door and crowded in think and that was not a part of the plan. The distraction had not lasted as long as Inarius had planned for.  
The archangel of valor let out a little growl, looking over at the group, “I told you, if we did it my way, no one would be out there to impede us.”

“They were suppose to remain distracted.”

Tevar sighed, “Communication I suppose is a little faster but there is nothing for it. Guess we are doing this Imperius’s way now.”

“That is not wise.”

Imperius growled, already reaching to open the door, “It is the only option now but I will attempt at least some diplomacy.”

“You being diplomatic?” Tevar drawled,” Just going to peacefully talk it out.”

“Attempt diplomacy.” Imperius repeated, stressing out both words in irritation, “But if they do not want to listen to my demands, then I will not hesitate to remove them.”

“Non-lethally?” Aladria asked, voice tinged with worry.

“That depends on if they are going to try to non-lethally attack me.” Imperius snapped before he swung open the door wide. 

He tensed and raised a hand up as blinding light bore into him, preventing him from seeing beyond it well to the gathered force. All he heard was the chuckle of some mortal, no doubt the leader of this mob.

“Did you really think you would be able to walk out that easily?”

Already the archangel of Valor could feel his hackles rising as his grip about Solarion tightened. Whatever small desire there was to just try and talk his way out went out the window with the snide tone of this mortal. Already Imperius’s armor was turning a shade of orange as his temper flared and he could not stop from throwing back a challenge of his own in response. 

“And do you think you brought enough warriors to handle me? You will let us pass or you will all face annihilation!” 

The retort had whatever human who had spoken laughing, “Oh, aren’t you a fiery one! Perhaps the same one that made a mess of our men by the lake eh?”

Imperius felt his wings tense, nearly leaping forward to silence the man before he could speak of the details of the attack, but he refrained, barely, for now, “And what do you want?”

“Your species is fascinating really. Beings of pure energy and possessing sentience. However, what your body’s donate to science and the forward progression of humankind’s understanding of new and more powerful technology, well, that is more important, “The speaker paused, “But I’m saying too much. How about we play nice. You come quietly and your human thralls there will be left unharmed.”

“Human thralls?!” 

Imperius’s wings flared up as a surge of anger rose up within him and with it came the burn of the corruption although the latter he ignored. Tevar and Aladria were no thralls and they were not compelled to help him. He was no demon that forced cooperation! If the two had wanted to go home, even if such a move was suicidal, he knew he would respect it, perhaps even stay in the vicinity to ensure they were safe.

But they were not thralls and their lives were not bargaining tools. Nor were the lives of his companions to be put at risk given that the human seemed to imply some vicious sort of experimentation was going on.

Imperius lowerd Solarion, wings spread wide, blazing spectaluar and even causing the mortal force to step back, “We are leaving. We do not need your permission! You make a move against us and I will show you no mercy!”

“Looks like this one can’t be spoken to. Bring him down, round up the others.” The voice said with a sigh, “Make sure to give him a full shock.” 

The archangel of valor felt whatever bit of self-control he had left with this situation snap when the mortal dared to speak of his kind as if they were merely animals to herd and ship off to whatever slaughter waited. The indignation of it all had Imperius wanting nothing more than to find the speaker and turn them into a smear against the ground, a thought which caused the echo of corruption in his resonance to tremble in delight.

In a blaze of fire he charged forward, cries of alarm sounding as he swung his blade about, feeling a sick glee as it cut into flesh. He heard his named called out from behind, no doubt some attempt to reign him back in, but he was far too gone, consumed by rage. The only pause he gave was when he felt the prong of one of their awful weapon embed itself into his shoulder. He whirled towards it, intent on pulling it free before it lit up, unleashing a sudden wave of agony that nearly dropped Imperius to his knees. The pain was gone as abruptly as it started though as El’druin sang through the air and cutting the connection.  
Tyrael was soon at his side, one hand grabbing onto Imperius’s shoulder “Calm yourself Imperius! They are not worth your wrath!”

Imperius was heaving, responding with a snarl towards Tyrael as he took up position again, spear in hand and eying the mortals as they closed in, “They are worth every moment of my wrath!”

Tyrael whirled towards Imperius, no doubt to argue the point only for him to stagger back as a prong sunk into his chest. The archangel of justice managed a raise of the hand towards it, no doubt intent on ripping it free before it lit up sending a surge of energy through Tyrael. He let out a shriek as his back arched, looking like he might break in two as his body twisted to escape before he collapsed to the ground in a heap, wings reduced to nothing but a few wisps as he shook. The archangel of justice was wheezing unable to move, the shock seeming to have affected him a lot more.

Imperius’s wings spread in alarm, at the whole proceeding, barely moving to get out of a way a few more shots taken at him as he brought his spear around to send them back with a blaze of fire upon the ground. It wasn’t the only cry that had a sense of reason once more crashing over Imperius through the blinding rage. He heard Aladria’s voice rise above the din abruptly, a short gasping sound of alarm. She was clutching her arm as bullets sprayed about the cover she had taken with Tevar. The mortal man was cursing wincing at every near hit as he shot back, although the troops were growing wise to his strange abilities and ducking down behind cover themselves. He could see the pain and fear in her eyes as she trembled in pain.  
Itherael had shifted stand in front of the mortals, a ripple of energy surrounding him indicating he had erected a shield his sword clutched in both hands. The bullets and prongs ricocheted off the barrier, but already, small cracks were starting to build as it began to buckle under the assault. Inarius was already down, curled up and trembling, wings dimmed from an electric shock and his robes torn by the bullets, but he seemed at least still alive. They were outnumbered and against foes more prepared to face them than the other way around. 

Imperius could feel the anger wanting to crawl up and overwhelm him all over again. All of these horrid beasts deserved to die, deserved to pay for their attack. The bloodlust singing in his resonance and the corruption growing blacker with the building hate wanted no less than a pile of bodies, but if he attacked, if he lashed forward to rip and tear into the ranks….the others could be harmed.

That thought was all that kept him grounded as he let out a roar of challenge and brought Solarion down hard against the ground, sending a shockwave out and knocking their attacks back against the ground. 

“Itherael! Take Inarius and phase! Tevar! Aladria! Hold onto him!” Imperius barked. 

“What about you?” Tevar yelled, even as he staggered over to clutch at Itherael’s side.

“I have to get Tyrael! Just go!”

Itherael hesitated for a moment, looking unsure but soon was hoisting up Inarius, the other hand wrapping about Aladria before he seemed to shimmer quickly aside, not quiet teleporting as he moved, but faster than the eye could track easily. The archangel of fate was soon out of sight and out of harm’s way with the three. He could hear the calls of the soldiers as they got to their feet, some turning to give pursuit to the three that managed to slip through the fingers, the rest turning towards the two angels that still remained in harm’s way. 

Imperius quickly moved over to where Tyrael was slinging an arm of his fellow archangel over one shoulder as he rose to his feet. Already his form was heating up in preparation for a jump as Tyrael’s head lolled back some, a slight wheezing laugh escaping him as he listlessly grasped at his blade. 

“I would think you would have left me for dead…”

The archangel of valor snorted, “I’m not you, Tyrael. No one will be left behind.”

In an instant, he had left behind the camp, landing out further into the woods and feeling his legs nearly buckled. The devastating shocks had down their damage, but he could tell he had handled it far better than before. Their weapons were no longer calibrated it seemed to the off-tremor of his resonance caused by the corruption. A hand rose up to touch his chest, a glance downward confirming that the mark had spread, the once brilliant sun upon his chest covered, the center looking more like the slight protrusion of bone. He shuddered, carefully setting Tyrael down, reaching out now to see where the resonance of the archangel of fate was, and letting out a brief warbling call. It was answered, and soon Itherael phased in, heaving a sigh of relief. 

“The mortals are…far more aggressive in capturing angels than before.” Ithereal murmured as he moved to rest Inarius against the ground.

“What are those…abysmal weapons!?” Inarius hissed, slowly sitting up and still shuddering, “Those are no mere mortal weapons!”

“You’ll find mortals can be….crafty when they wish,” Tyrael wheezed one hand clutching his chest, “We will have to be careful of those weapons. I was sure I saw the afterlife there for a moment.”

Tevar let go of Itherael, looking green in the face as he moved over towards a tree, “…that phasing thing is…is…” His sentence was cut off by a stream of vomit. 

Aladria sighed, shaking her head, “You need to get over the motion sickness…or at least bring a bag with you. This is, what? The third time?”

“Oh shut up….” Tevar groaned, “I’m sorry my stomach can’t handle herky jerky angels popping around.” 

Imperius sighed before he moved to offer both Tyrael and Inarius a hand up, glancing to the mortals, “We are returning to Heaven….are you…. Well?”

He gestured towards Aladria’s arm and she winced a bit as she put a hand over the wound, “It is nothing bad. It didn’t puncture. Just really grazed the outer edge.” She laughed softly shaking her head, “Should just wear the armor you wore all the time when we go out if we are going to be in fire fights.”

“That would be wise,” Imperius murmured, “You should keep yourself protected when you come to Sanctuary and our intent is combat.”  
“Next time.” She said with a smile, wincing a bit, “Lesson learned.” 

“Allow me to tend to your wound.”

Aladria glanced up as Ithereal knelt down, “Huh? Oh, there is no need for that.”

“Please, I insist.” Itherael said, as he lifted a hand to cover the wound. A few words were murmured under his breath and soon a soft glow enveloped the wound. When he pulled his hand away, the flesh was healed, smooth and unblemished. Aladria’s eyes widen as she looked up in awe, “thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.” Itherael responded with a polite dip of his head.

Imperius cocked his head as he noticed the blush rise to Aladria’s cheeks and the shy turn of the head. It was an odd reaction, but he supposed mortals could be odd from time to time, just usually Tevar was the odd one.  
“We return to Heaven. Once there, we will begin sorting out the next step.”

“Hopefully one with less being shot at.” Tevar grumbled.  
It took only a few moments and a thought to leap back to Heaven and away from danger once more. The empty halls almost seemed more comforting now to Imperius. At the very least there was no danger in Heaven proper. Inarius stumbled a bit, still trembling and recovering from the shock while Tyrael’s entire form seemed to sag, his wings whispy blue tendrils that reminded Imperius of when the archangel had been but a fledgling. 

Of the group, Itherael seemed the least haggard as he silently approached the railing of one of the balconies and gazed out over Heaven. He did not speak for a long momen, his wings droopling visibly as he took it in.  
“…it really is so empty. And so broken…” Itherael said softly, “Worse than when I left. It was still full of life and maintained.” 

“It will take time to once more bring Heaven back to its formal glory,” Tyrael murmured, “But in time we will rebuild.”

“That will require a lightsong…” Ithereal murmured, voice trailing off with an embarrassed lift.

“We will first see if any of our kind can be found alive before we have to resort to such measures,” Imperius grumbled, one hand lifting to pick at the more obvious stain on his chest. 

 

Tevar huffed, moving over to poke the mark now, eyes narrowed in suspicion, “How are you getting more dirty? And why does the dirt look like you got something fleshy growing out of your chest?”

“I was in a fight and maybe some gore got on me.” Imperius snapped defensively, pulling back, “Just leave it be, besides, there are more important things to tend to.”

Itherael turned away from the balcony, letting out a soft sigh, “Indeed. There is much to discuss and perhaps between your story and mine, we can discover what all has happened.”

The archangel of valor nodded. Really Itherael was doing a marvelous job at appearing he was calm and taking all of this in stride but under the surface, he could feel the bubble of anxiety, worry, and shock that were tearing away at the archivist’s resonance. The archangel of fate was trying to save some face for now, bottling it all up for now. Imperius didn’t fear for an outburst though. Itherael had always had more a reaction of flight rather than fight and often pulled away to some corner of the archive to work on some project until whatever bothered him was worked out. Still, the amount of ill emotions coming off Itherael was concerning and far more than anything he had felt in the past. 

Imperius turned to Aladria and Tevar, giving a polite bow of his head, “I know you want to hear the story as well but…I would like to speak with Itherael with only Inarius and Tyrael present.” 

Tevar huffed, hands on his hips, “Ohhh, the angels need to have some secret discussion eh? No mortals allowed?”

“No. It is just a more personal reunion,” Imperius let out a sigh, shaking his head, “I promise I will tell you everything later.” 

“Even what is really going on with you and your blemish?” Tevar drawled.

Imperius hesitated, wings tensing before he gave a reluctant nod, “If you insist.” 

Even though a part of him wanted to keep denying that the corruption was spreading more obviously now and who knew how long it would be until more alarming aspects of it manifested. He couldn’t keep it a secret for too much longer. It was not like later meant as soon as possible.

The response seemed to satisfy Tevar at least and he turned to gesture toward Aladria, “Come on. Let’s go crash in the archives and we can start sorting through that data. The laptop is charged right?” 

“Yeah. I plugged it in before we left. You think it will be able to handle it all or if we’ll have the right programs?” She asked.

“Can try at least. Get other ones added next time we are down below again.” Tevar raised a hand in farewell, “I’ll see you later Imperius. And remember, spilling the beans on everything. You and me!”

“I understand!” Imperius huffed, shaking his head. “Now away with you before I change my mind!”

Tyrael chuckled some, rolling his shoulders a bit as his wings flared up again, “…you are getting very fond of them.”

“They are comrades. Of course I’m fond of them.” The archangel of valor snapped, “But that is not important.”

He glanced about before crossing his arms over his chest, “Perhaps though we should move this conversation elsewhere to help ease the mood.” 

“The sanctum of tranquility would be much preferred.” Ithereal murmured, “I think I want to be sitting for most of this discussion and the more open space would do me wonders.”

“I think we all will need to be sitting for most of it.” Inarius grumbled, “Especially those of us who just nearly had our essence shocked right out of our armor.” 

“Very well. We will gather in the room of contemplation within the sanctum of tranquility.” The archangel of valor stretched his wings before taking to the air, “Then we will see what can be answered now.”

It had been a long time since Imperius had found his way to the sanctum of tranquility, more or less for the embarrassing fact that as a youth, he had developed a healthy loathing for the place. Meditation classes were not one the young fledgling of valor had cared to attend and he had often gotten lectures on the importance of holding still and finding inner peace. Just looking at the place caused Imperius to feel the phantom pain upon his head from a smart tap from an instructor telling him to stop daydreaming and take the class seriously. 

Despite the bad memories though, the lounge rooms that were in the upper spires were some of the more comfortable places to sit as the chairs here were more like small clouds, much more nest-like and gave a strange comfort that may have stemmed from their ancient ancestors and their desires to nest. 

Imperius all but sank into one of the chairs, wings arching comfortably to drape down over the side. Itherael made himself comfortable across the way in a higher backed chair, his own wings hooking onto the tops and cascading down over the back. Tyrael all put flopped onto his side on a lounger, stretching out although he was soon cursing as Inarius all but flopped down on top of him. The two wriggled and jostled for a moment before finding a position where they could share the lounger, Tyrael already starting to groom Inarius’s wings at the quiet insistence of his brother. 

There was a few moments of silent without anyone saying a word but it was not an uncomfortable one. There was a sense of fatigue shared between them and there was no rush to speak now that they were out of harm’s way for now. The only sound in the room was the quiet hum Inarius would let out now and again as Tyrael meticulous combed through his wings, smoothing over the frayed tips again. 

Itherael remained leaned back in his chair, one hand rising to tug at his hood nervously again and there was a spike in his anxiety again. His wings flitted about nervously before he sat up a bit more, clearing his throat to get the attention of the others, finally ready to speak. 

“So,” He began at last, “I suppose I should start at where your own knowledge has left off, ah, whenever that would be.” 

“Last I recall was being sealed up and then left there at the decision of the council.” Imperius drawled, feeling just a bit of anger rise up, “So I know nothing of what insanity was done while I was lost.”

Itherael tensed before dipping his head, fiddling with the hem of his robe now, “Oh dear. I didn’t think we would- I suppose Tyrael tokd you about-“ the archangel of fate quickly cleared his throat again, unable to look at valor, “I’m sorry Imperius it was…we thought it was for the best at the time-“

“Spare me. Tyrael has given me every excuse there is. I do not need to hear them all over again.” Imperius growled, feeling a slight spike of his temper. Itherael’s reaction all but confirmed that Tyrael not not been the only one to agree to that madness. He crossed his arms, leaning back further in his chair, armor a bit flushed and feeling the slight burn of the corruption.

“Speaking of Tyrael, he could answer none of the questions I have either about the state of Heaven, given he was dead by then apparently.”

“Ah. Yes…. Tyrael’s assassination was a terrible blow for all we worked for.” Itherael murmured, not looking up, “I suppose that could be a good place to start.”

Imperius cocked his head, “His assassination?”

Tyrael had gone rigid, not making eye contact with anyone in the room. He had stopped grooming Inarius’s wings to sit back some, his hands now curled into fists against his thighs. Imperius felt a surge of irritation, leaning over in his chair to better glower at the archangel of justice. , “So is that why you have not spoken a word about how you died?” 

“You would not let me hear the end of it if I told you I died, slain in my sleep.” Tyrael answered stiffly. “I’ve been given enough of your verbal abuse as is. I did not want you to add that to the long list of grievances against me in whatever abomination of justice you think you are giving.” 

Imperius snorted as he crossed his arms, “Ah, the fragile archangel of justice… always one to dull out justice, but against having to serve any himself. Balking at a few words that are the truth of all this.” 

Tyrael bristled but didn’t say a word in response, although a quiet resentment was starting to creep up in his resonance. Itherael looked between the two anxiously, wings arched slightly before he quietly cleared his throat, “So ah… Tyrael’s death… that led to other unpleasant dissonance…”

“If Itherael is going to stutter out the whole story in such an unorganized way, we might as well prepare to be here for the week,” Inairus grumbled, “It is a wonder you ever managed to become an archangel.” 

That caused Itherael’s wings to flare just a bit and there was a slightly stronger glow to them before he let out a sigh, shaking his head, “Perhaps I’m not telling the story well, but a lot of things have happened, a lot of stresses, revelations…” The archangel of fate sank back into his chair, “So much was going on that even Tyarel wasn’t aware of in Heaven.”

“Such as?”

Itherael was silent for a bit, folding his hands in his lap, “After Imperius’s fall and the…council’s decision… there was dissonance in the flight of valor” He let out a quiet, humorless laugh, “More complete outrage but out of respect for Imperius, they remained with Heaven and continue to support the war effort, but it was more than clear their loyalty was hanging by a thread to any who dwelled in Heaven.”

“I recall there was tension.” Tyrael murmured, “Had it really gotten that bad?”

“Oh yes and as the war dragged on, they grew more tired of what they perceived as empty promises and lies from myself and Auriel. Many accusations were thrown that we cared more about mortals than we did our own kind that died for a world that shouldn’t exsist.” Itherael sighed, “And that dissonance would only cause more trouble when you were murdered, Tyrael.”

“How so? What happened?”  
“I do not know if it was the nephelem who started the whispers or perhaps one of their companions, but it was somehow made known that there were angels in Heaven that cared little about mortals and wanted nothing to do with Sanctuary. Quickly, the mortals began to assume there was a conspiracy in Heaven and that it was this dissonant group of angels that murdered Tyrael as a means to eradicate any alliance between us.” Itherael let out a sigh, sinking further in his chair, “Auriel and I did our best to try and sooth worries, but the mortals insisted we investigate. It was the final blow to unity within Heaven. The host of Valor made public their disconetnet.”

Imperius felt a sudden rise of concern at that, worry growing for the host he was forced to leave behind, “…did they…rebel?”

“No. Your top lieutenants gathered the host and were joined by remnants of wisdom and they demanded they be allowed to leave, citing the council had betrayed Heaven in our inability to act and our continued groveling to mortals.” Itherael murmured, “They threatened civil war only if they were barred from leaving. There was nothing that could be said to ease their anger. They left Heaven, taking most our martial strength with them.” 

“Where did they go?” Imperius asked, unable to hide the worry in his voice, “What happened to them?”

“To Pandemonium some say. Others say they found a corner of Sanctuary to call their home. Wherever they went, no one heard from them again. They did not answer our messages and held their contempt. They saw us as pawns of mortals. I feel worse for Auriel. The names they began to call her…” The archangel of fate tensed, looking away, guilt coming off him, “I retreated to the archives to try and avoid it all. I could not decided what to do…didn’t know what could be done. The scrolls of fate have been silent since Diablo’s defeat. I no longer could help guide Heaven.” 

Inarius snorted, “Ah, so you became even more useless.”

Itherael flinched, but did not argue against Inarius’s words, wrapping his arms about himself, “…I did what I could. There was no appeasing everyone and every concession made angered someone else. The mortals wanted us to do as they wanted and our own people wanted something different. It just…tore us apart.”

The archangel of fate took in a shuddering breath staring down at the floor, “Hell launched an attack and we barely had the numbers to fight back. The best warriors had left us to our doom. We had to call upon the nephelem for aid, with the promise of more aid for Sanctuary to be given afterwards. The battle was…terrible, but in the end, the nephelem decided that the only way to ensure Heaven’s safety was to destroy Pandemonium completely…”

“Seems the nephelem were successful in that.” Imperius murmured, although his form went rigid, “But you said it was there the host of valor may have went…”

Itherael shook his head, “I don’t know if they did or not but…but I pray they were not there. That they were somewhere n Sanctuary, hidden and apart, and safe.” The archangel of fate’s voice was cracking and the guilt was overwhelming. There was no way of knowing if the host of valor was there or not and that was perhaps worse than a confirmation. Imperius could feel the weight on his own shoulders of knowing those he was suppose to care for may very well have been slain by the nephelem that had allowed him to be sealed. 

That thought caused a sudden spike of hatred in Imperius’s soul feeling it writhe within him more so. His hands were curling tighter against the armrests of the chair, digging fingers into the fabric.

“At the very least, did this stop Hell?” Imperius finally managed, voice tight.

“It did…but at a terrible cost. The nepehlem had to draw upon the energy of the arch itself and that of the void to do so. Some of them perished as well…but …” Itherael paused, his form trembling more, “The arch was damage, weaker. The lightsongs were so infrequent, so few new angels were being born, not enough to replace those lost…. And Hell….the damage to the void allowed more of our old foes to emerge again but their numbers were less. But now, being here after so long I…I don’t think the arch recovered. It is still as weak as it was back then.”

Itherael let out a stuttering sigh, “There was peace after that. The war won, but it was not the peace we hoped for.” 

Imperius had thought the truth of what happened would bring him peace of mind, that it would help to quell the pain in his resonance. This news though was worse, far worse than he had imagined and the common thread was the mistakes of the nephelem. He found himself looking over to Tyrael who had remained silent and tense. The archangel of justice was staring at the ground and guilt radiated off of him as he listened to what Itherael said. No doubt he had been so sure that mortals would overcome Hell yes, but that afterwards Heaven could work with the nephelem and benefit from each other. 

Now it seemed the Nephelem may have doomed them for all generations to come. Even if they did a lightsong now, there was a chance they would never be able to populate as they had before.  
“So what was this peace then?” Inarius asked, “Did you finally make nice with the mortals?”

“I wanted to believe so but it was unbalanced. Heaven had on strength to make demands and yet the nepehlem tried to act as a bridge between us and the rest of their world, but,” Itherael shook his head, “But they didn’t understand us. More angels were becoming fed up with the council. More were leaving to search out the host of valor. Others still lost hope of recovery and were leaving to become mortal in honor of Tyrael’s choice. We were in a decline, but…when I left…Auriel…I thought Auriel had finally managed to stem the bleed of Heaven and had started a slow recovery.”

“Why did you leave?”

That question had been burning in Imperius for so long. It was unusual for Itherael of all angels to leave Heaven. True he was curious about the world, but he was also more than content to hear stories and read accounts than he was to go himself. The archangel of fate was silent for a long while, hands clenched against his knees, “I…I wanted to help Auriel, our people. I wanted to do something, not just…bury my head in my books.”

He inhaled shakily, trying to steady his voice again, “There were rumors of angels going missing, either on brief visits or visiting kin that were mortal. Some of those who had become mortal also were turning up missing. Auriel reasoned they simply did not want to be found, like the host of valor but…but something didn’t sit well. They vanished without supplies, without word or without sign of being discontent or wishing to vanish so….so I decided to look into it personally, just to….just to ease my own mind.”  
His voice cracked then as the façade of calm he had tried so desperately to maintain broke away and he buried his face against his hands shuddering, “…the mortals were hunting and murdering our people.”

“What?” Tyrael’s voice was so small as he sat there, shaking his head, “No, surely you just, they had no reason to hunt us!”

Itherael shook his head, shuddering, the palms of his hand still pressed into the dark of his hood, “I tracked down one who had gone missing. I asked around town and one of them said they went into the woods with a group. I followed…it was…it was a trap. They were already dead just….so much blood and…it was like coming upon a pack of demons, the amount of hatred there was for someone who was already dead, their family-“

The archvist let out a choked sob, “They set upon me and…I was so afraid. I did not want to harm them but they-“ 

IMperius rose to his feet and over to the other angel, wrapping an arm about him, barely containing his own rage that had bubbled up. Itherael shook his head, trying to regain control of his voice to finish, although his resonance was in complete distress having to relieve the awful experience. 

Tyrael was tense, trembling himself and shaking his head, as if he couldn’t believe what was being said, but while as a mortal, he could perhaps deny what the truth might be, the raw emotion sweeping over him that came from Itherael was far too real to be any sort of lie. There was no deceit in the archangel of fate’s words.

“…they did not kill me. They could have, but didn’t I was…rescused. The host of valor or perhaps, what little had escaped destruction on Pandemonium, they came. Ignaceus….he…he took me to the timeless prison hidden away and told me to wait there, I would be safe and as soon as they could, they would send aid. That it wasn’t’ safe and they needed to lead the mortals away. He promised he would come back.”

Imperius felt his soul tremble at the name, dipping his head. Ignaceus was one of his oldest lieutenants, and was always a level-headed one. His anger had always burned cooler and when Imperius was at his worse, Ignaceus was always the one quietly doing the minor damage control in the background between his duties of instructing the young fledglings of valor. Even after leaving Heaven it seemed his host still did what they could to defend their kin, even when the rest of Heaven was turning a blind eye.

Itherael looked away shaking his head, “I now fear the worse happened to them as they were not the ones to come for me. That it is you that released me from the prison.”

Tyrael was shaking his head in disbelief, clutching the arms of the chair, “No…Auriel would have known. The nephelem would have known and not let this happen! Someone would have stopped this!”

“The nephelem… what ones were left were…aged.” Itherael managed, “Or dead. The land of Sanctuary was afflicted by something drawing their power away and the mortals left behind… they were fed stories of hatred. We were nothing to them, just some…dying race that was easy to blame for the wrongs of the world I suppose. I don’t…I don’t know what happened after I was sealed sorry and... and I just worry. Auriel is not here…I just….I hope whatever end came to her, it was quick and painless.” 

The room was silent and Imperius was trembling, barely containing the rage and hatred burning in his soul. He wanted nothing more than to step back in time to punish the mortals that did this. A small part of him was wondering if the mortals today were any better though, what with the organization that all but admitted to killing what few angels they managed to capture. Had they killed some of his host that had managed to survive all of this? How many angels were slaughtered in this quiet genocide? Every question only worked to cause the rage to rise in his chest, practically strangling him now and all he wanted was something to take it out on, someone to blame for this.

It was perhaps misfortune that it was Tyrael who spoke first to break the silence and earn Imperius’s attention in that moment. The archangel was shaking his head, trembling, clearly as affect about this as everyone else, “I…how did this happen..? I…I did what I could to help them. I sacrificed so much to stand with them against evil, to try and bridge the gap…!” 

“It seems that your sacrifice meant as little to them as it meant to Heaven,” Imperius sneered “It is almost hilarious how useless you made yourself. Maybe we should have traded you for Inarius years ago. At least he was able to contain the mortals and wouldn’t have created monsters to help fuel hatreds to destroy us!”

The archangel of justice looked up sharply, wings trembling, “I did not create the nephelem! I allied with them to help defend Heaven from itself!”

“No, you allowed Heaven to collapse in on itself because you cared more about the mortals than us! Look around you! Just listen to what Itherael said! They were killing us! Even those that lived as mortals like you!” Imperius roared, “Are you still so set that they did no harm, that they are ineffable creatures of justice, that you cannot see what doom you orchestrated?”

Tyrael was drawing back, his voice starting to break as he was pushed finally to a breaking point, “I didn’t know it would turn out like this! I just wanted to-“

“To what? Be like your sire!? To be someone who did more for Heaven in a minute than you did for it in your entire damnable exsistence? You are a shame to his legacy! You are a shame to your aspect! Your justice was as weak as your words. Your mortals did not care what you had to say or what you did!” Imperius snarled, feeling the hatred for Tyrael all over again, the corruption starting to creep a little more over his chest, “You are the only thing that ever went wrong in Heaven, the single factor, the single, idiotic, brainless, void-spawned excuse of angel that is the common factor in everything that has gone wrong!” 

“I think that is enough of that.” 

Imperius’s wings flared as Inarius stepped in between the two, his own flared out a bit defensively, “I may not see eye to eye with my brother, but he is still my kin and your words are poison right now Imperius, more so to yourself.”

The archangel of valor trembled, his armor flared red and the black stain now spreading across and creeping at the edges of his left pauldron. Itherael had shrunk back, silent and trembling in his chair and Tyrael…

Tyrael’s resonance felt completely broken as he stood there, staring at the floor as if petrified where he stood. There was a meager attempt to remain strong, but there was the slight inhale of breath that indicated someone that was barely holding everything together. 

Inarius looked between the two before letting out a sigh, “I do not know if your anger comes from the corruption making it worse or not, and although I do feel my brother does share blame in this, let us not forget what part you had to have played for the council to think you so dangerous, so spiteful as to lock you away. None of us are blameless.”

Imperius shuddered, trying to reign himself in and under all the broiling hatred and disgust, a tiny sliver of some other trembling emotion exsisted. Inarius just stared at Imperius for a moment before he turned away, an arm about Tyrael to gently lead his brother away. The archangel of justice gave no protest, wrapping his arms about him as they moved. 

It was only at the doorway that Tyrael stopped, managing to take in a shaky breath and look back at Imperius, “I…I do not wish for it to be war between us. I know you hate me but….but I don’t hate you. Not even now but…” He stopped, trying to collect himself to speak through the near sob in his voice, “but I do not thing I wish to speak to you ever again. Not alone. Not unless duty forces me to.”

The archangel of justiced turned away quickly then and was out the door quickly, Inarius on his heels and leaving the room in complete silence once more, although the tranquility of the room seemed poisoned now. Imperius lifted a hand and touched his chest, pressing the fingers against the corruption that had spread before moving to collapse back into his chair. 

Itherael regarded him, the fear and anxiety clear in his body language, but worry was there was well, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I didn’t want everyone to be upset.”

 

It is not your fault Itherael.” Imperius murmured as he glanced away, “It is mine. Inarius is…right. I am not blameless.”

“I’m sorry. If we hadn’t of sealed you away-“

“We don’t know if that would have stopped any of this from happening, “Imperius murmured, sinking back, “And blaming Tyrael as I did was… it was a level of cruelty more suited for a demon.”

He trembled a bit, digging his fingers into the corruption and hearing the strange sensation of touch that came with becoming more a creature of flesh than just of spirit, “Perhaps this corruption is nothing more than my true nature, what I am at my core, finally being revealed. My hatred has been…There is no excuse for what I’ve done.” 

Itherael looked unsure, looking over at Imperius and shifting. He looked as if he might speak before he looked away, wings wrapping tight about his shoulders, “How did you come to be corrupted?”

“A battle in Hell against a demon of hate.” Imperius murmured, “That was when we went to free Inarius. The wound was deep and it left its mark and I let the hate fester and take root.”

“I’m sorry this came to be and…well, I will see if there is anything in the archives that might help,” Ithreael said softly as he rose to his feet, “I don’t…I don’t want to see anyone else die or be unable to help another of my friends.”

Imperius looked over to Itherael, letting out a soft sigh, “There is nothing to be done and I would not want you to worry about me. This is corruption that is my fault alone.” He shook his head, “Busy your mind with other things you have…went through an ordeal and it is probably as fresh in your mind as if it happened yesterday.”

“Imperius…”

“Go find Aladria. In the archives. The mortal you met and healed.” Imperius murmured, shaking his head, “She is probably bursting with questions about the archives and lore that only you can answer. Rest your mind with something enjoyable.”

“It does not mean I will not be worried about you. Or Tyrael.” Itherael said quietly, “It is…still so jarring to see you fight like that. I had thought for the longest time that you two…” he sighed and shook his head, shakily rising to his feet, “Maybe…maybe I should take some time in the archives to collect myself better. I …I apologize thought for how broken my story is.”

“You told it fine and said all that needed to be said Itherael.” Imperius said softly, “I apologize for… my outburst.”

The archangel of fate nodded and stood there for a moment. Again he looked as if he would say something, his resonance speaking volumes of his conflicting thoughts and tangle of emotions within him before he looked away, “I will see you later if you come by the archives. Perhaps we can remember more pleasant times then.”

“Perhaps.”

Imperius spared barely a glance as the other archangel departed and he was left alone once more to his thoughts, his soul a turbulent mess of emotions and troubled thoughts. Even as he sat there, he felt like he could feel the corruption working its way through him. It was a black scar upon him now, the center more apparently forming as bone as if to remind him of the demon lord that would no doubt be gleeful to receive him into their ranks when eventually it overcame him.

He wondered if perhaps he deserved damnation if he was so quick to unleash malicious words upon another with so little care.  
He sat, lost in his own musings, going over what he had learned from Itherael. Questions had been answered and the picture of the past made a little clearer, but with it, came more questions, some of which he was surprised himself he was wondering about. Of course he was still wondering as to Auriel’s fate and the fate of his host, but something about the behavior of the mortals, how they were hunting angels down in small groups, that did not seem…normal. True humans were capable of evil, but the more he spent in Tevar and Aladria’s company, the more he learned of their world and stories, of the people they complained about and spoke lovingly of, the more he knew that humans rarely did anything out of pure evil.  
There was always a reason for the choice, something that prompted it. There was always something that dangled the temptation to do wrong in front of their faces to help them to follow it blindly. The whole plot smelled of demonic influence. A sigh escaped Imperius as he slowly rose to his feet again and reached out, teleporting from the sanctum of tranquility halfway across the heart of heaven, once more finding himself at the foot of Magtherius’s tower although he did not know why he had come. Perhaps it was just a creeping nostalgia or a desire to have guidance once more, even if the place now stood silent.  
Perhaps it was just a passing fancy of a troubled mind with nowhere to wonder. 

He entered and spared not a glance to the looming statue, wings tensing and feeling like the statue gazed upon him with a sense of sadness and ascended the spiral staircase along the edge up to the top floor where the observatory the former archangel of virtue once called his own. 

Among the architecture of Heaven, the observatory was one of the more complex and ingenious examples. The entirety of the walls were made of crystal of a beautiful shade that seemed to hold all the colors of the world within their dark blue facets. All across the floor and up the walls, parts of the massive contraption that dominated the center of the room ascended upwards towards the large focusing crystal used to refract light into the room itself. There were a thousand working parts that once moved and careened in ways that were unpredictable and seemingly chaotic, and like they would collide against one another. Yet within the maddening twirling and spinning of the observatory, Magtherius always found reason and order. 

It was within this room that the archangel of virtue had stood, staring off into the eternity of stars and gleamed prophecies of the future, writing the language of creation upon countless scrolls, each small note made to become something greater. Whatever Magtherius must have been something truly incredible to behold. However since his passing, the room had stood empty and still, and whatever had once existed in the stars had fallen into antiquity. Imperius gently ran a finger along the delicate curve of one of the circular projections, feeling it give a bit and spin lazily for a few moments. As a fledgling, he had always assume when he grew older, he would know what each moving part would do, but even now, old as he was, his youth many millennium behind him, he was still at a lost for what each part was supposed to do. It felt like a puzzle waiting to be solved and upon its solution, would come to life and reveal once more the secrets of the universe. A sigh escped Imperius before he stepped back and moved towards the base of the structure. Here, a modest pedestal had been erected and the only thing upon it was an old book, the cover made, some say, at the birth of the first angels, the cover engraved with faded cold symbols in a dialect of Heaven no longer spoken by even the oldest of angels. 

Gently Imperius rested a hand against it although made no move to open it. It was not his to open, not his legacy to inherit.  
The Book of Virtues was meant only to be seen only by the eyes of the one it was passed to. It was a relic that was said to contain all the laws of Heaven, all the stories and legends, the very soul of righteousness, passed down from mentor to student in an unbroken line. Each holder was said to imprint a bit of their own soul upon it, making the book more a living thing than just simply another text. Magtherius had passed it to Malthael and the archangel of wisdom had left it here, unused and forgotten within the shadow of his master’s silent machine.  
Why that had come to pass, Imperius did not know. Malthael had always spoken so excitedly that one day he would be able to look into the book of his master and see all the wisdom the world had to offer. Idly the archangel of valor wondered if he had ever peered into the book. For a moment Imperius stood, hand on the book debating satisfying his own curiosity and peeking inside, but instead he stepped back with a sigh. 

It was not his legacy to reclaim and if Malthael truly was alive perhaps…perhaps he may ask the dark angel what was written within.

Imperius stepped away from the book before looking up at the grand device within the observatory, feeling like a fledgling again, clueless and without purpose but at the same time, felt no shame in that. The place brought back memories of wonder and he recalled staring up in awe as Magtherius had the device moving, blurs of light and stars moving around them and the tales he would weave about the universe. There was a wonder to it all, to all the stories that no longer were told. There had been legends of Heaven, of angels of names unknown who fought demons unfathomable, of a dragon made of stars that had been brought into creation from pure belief who could speak. Legends that were fantastical lies, but had spoken volumes of the virtues of Heaven that were held so dear.

Imperius even chuckled, remembering with a bittersweet clench to his chest once asking Magtherius what stars even had to talk about and having the old archangel laugh and reply so mysteriously, “A lot of things about what lies between the known.” He had gone home so confused for days before whining to Malthael to explain it all, only for the other fledgling to tell him a terrible fib of how if he thought too hard about what was unknown, his head would imploded. A fib that had Imperius loudly proclaiming to his teachers he didn’t’ want not know anything so he would never have to worry about that in battle.  
It was a far more innocent time of legends and stories and a belief in a world beyond knowing.

When had that all been forgotten?

A sigh escaped him, a hand rubbing up along the taint on his chest that now spread like a black scar across the plate. With it came the small sensation of touch that caused his very resonance to writh in revulsion. 

He wondered if there would be any legends of him for the next generations of angel flights to remember. 

If there would be any future generations. 

That thought caused an ache of sadness to enter him and soon, the crushing silence of the room began to eat at him. In that moment, the idea of being alone held no appeal although, the choice of company was so slim now.

He did not consider Tyrael. After what was happen, he doubted they may ever share words again. Inarius too did not appeal to him if more for the fact he always felt there was something going on in the former prisoner’s mind that was not entirely in good faith. There was Itherael now of course, but he felt a lingering shame for how he had exploded in a rage in his company. No doubt the archivist was busy tending to his library, no doubt speaking with Aladria and Tevar. The thought of the two mortals brought a bloom of comforting warmth though and with a thought, he teleported away, appearing at the entrance to the library of fate. 

The place was a bit of a mess, as Aladria had mentioned, with stacks of texts and scrolls here and there on tables and the memory crystals scattered in small piles. Yet for all that, there was a bit of order to it as if the mortal scholar was simply making sure things were arranged back into their proper place rather than pulling out everything and tossing it about. 

It was quiet which was odd. The mortals were usually rather loud, Tevar in particularly. Idly he wondered if Itherael had asked them to leave to have some time alone. However, as he drew closer to the center, a soft repetitive clicking filled the air. It was easy to follow and soon lead him to a rather odd site. Itherael sat leaned back on a couch, one of the mortal devices in front of him and his fingers moving over a set of keys on it. Against his side, Aladria was sleeping, mouth hanging open just a bit and letting out the barest hint of a soft snore. 

Itherael looked up from where he had been painstakingly pressing one key at a time, giving a small dip of his head and glancing away a bit shyly, “I didn’t want to wake her. She seemed so tired. Just closed her eyes for a moment and she was asleep.” He said softly. 

“Is that why you haven’t moved?” Imperius asked, tone amused. 

“She looks peaceful and like she needs it,” Itherael murmured, ducking his head as he returned to slowly pressing the keys on the machine, “but I don’t mind. It gives me time to really learn how to use this fascinating machine.”

Imperius cocked his head, “I’ve seen them use it a few times. Some odd glowing storage device…”

“Yes. A storage of knowledge! I could store all of the archives within a few of these, can you imagine?” Itherael whispered softly, “And this language, this coding it uses, it is not so different as reading the lines of fate. It is all about connections and where things lead….and supposedly it connects to a larger web of mortal knowledge called the internet which I’m curious to parse. The wealth of knowledge I could learn about this world in mere moments if I can find a way to bring access to it from here.”

The excitement was clear in Itherael’s voice and his wings practically vibrated with it. Imperius had to hold back a chuckle as he shook his head, “I see you already have plans.” 

“Yes, and well,” He ducked his head a bit, “I would like to go to their world and see more of this technology. This computer seems useful and if we could get more powerful ones…and this wi-fi…” Itherael trailed off, “I want to learn more about it, to help our search. So much of the data on things is stored via these modules” He paused, a finger tapping lightly on one of the buttons, “And they can be plundered much like a vault if you know how to code, so Tevar says.”

“It seems like a huge undertaking to learn and I’m surprised you would want to go below given…what happened.” 

Itherael shifted some, “Perhaps but… I want to do something this time and I cannot just hide away. Not again.” He let out a sigh, looking up at Imperius, “I’m tired of being afraid. The loss of your valor was keenly felt, but with you here, I want to be able to no longer be crippled and broken by own indecisiveness.”

The archivist looked down at his hands, both of which curled slightly into fists against the keys, “I never could act, never could come to a decision on what to do. I was plagued forever by inaction. I want to change that.”

“Itherael-“

“No need to try and comfort me. I’m more than aware of how…useless I’ve been.” Itherael shook his head, “And how that has only aided in what has become of Heaven. If I had been stronger, if I had been able to make choices without hesitation, maybe I could have better supported Auriel. Maybe we could have found a compromise.”

He fell silent as Aladria shifted a bit, although she settled quickly, still fast asleep. For a moment the scholar regarded her before lowering his voice a bit more, chuckling softly, “Your friend here is something. She’s been categorizing the archives on this device you know. I’ve been ah, fixing some of the translation errors…” he paused, ducking his head, “And she enjoyed the chronicles I wrote on the battles of Bloodrock…”

“Oh?”

Itherael nodded, his tone gaining that excited lift again, “Oh yes. It is actually one of my personal favorites although, I’ve always been told it is dry. Malthael it lacked any imagination or flare to it.”

This time Imperius couldn’t help but chuckle, “I’m glad to see you get along.”

“We are. I’m enjoying her company. The other one is a bit brash. Sarcastic. Reminds me of Tyrael when he was still a fledgling.” 

Imperius let out a huff, his wings giving a small twitch of annoyance at the mention of the archangel of justice, turning to look away, “Where is Tevar anyways?”

“Oh, out of the balcony pass the reference section. He said he had to smoke?” Itherael gave a small wave of his hand, “Aladria told him to do it outside so as not to stink up the archives, so I’m certain it has something foul-smelling to it…”

“Mm. I should go speak with him then.” 

Itherael paused, squirming just a bit, “Ah but, before you go, Imperius I…” He let out a sigh looking away, “When I go to Sanctuary tomorrow, I would like you to be there. Knowing you are there is very comforting and makes the situation feel safer. I do not think I’m quite ready to travel there alone, even if it is with two excellent mortals.”

“I really don’t like to…hide as a mortal.” Imperius murmured. 

He could see Itherael deflate a bit, glancing aside and found himself shaking his head and quickly adding, “But…we will see. I will not say no. Perhaps find some..arrangement that is best for both of us. I think it will be good for you to pursue this technology and find a way to craft it for our own purposes.”

Itherael glanced up, a small lift of hope to his resonance as he nodded, “Thank you Imperius. It will mean a lot.”

He gave a nod before wandering off, feeling a stab of uncertainty about the whole idea of going to the Sancturay and wearing a mortal disguise. Put aside the fact he was abysmal at creating one, he still didn’t relish the idea of wearing one, not wanting to be seen as mortal. Wearing that one for the mission was awful enough. 

Imperius glanced back once over his shoulder to watch Itherael to return to his work on the mortal device, eagerly hitting one key at a time in short succession and lighting up at whatever it was doing on the screen. It was good to see, at least, he was taking some time to recover himself and find some high spirits for now. Itherael had always been good about finding something to keep him busy and to distract his mind from twisting, terrible thoughts. He turned away with a soft sigh and headed out to the balcony Itherael had indicated.

It was not hard to find the Tevar on the balcony, the mortal leaned against the railing, a smoking stick in hand that he inhaled from briefly before letting out a cloud of grey vapor. The mortal glanced over, arching an eyebrow as he let out another breath of smoke out the side of his mouth, “Evening stranger. What brings you out here?”

“Good evening.” Imprius murmured, stepping up beside Tevar to lean against the balcony, “I came to find you Aladria but she-“

“She’s in a blissful geek nap after going on for hours about history with that Itherael guy. It was interesting to listen to for a while, when they were talking about history. Then they dissolved into just complimenting each other’s writings and trying to claim the other one was better.” He drawled with a shake of his head, “I give it five weeks.”

“Give what five weeks?” 

“Five weeks until they are looking for history between the sheets.” 

“…what?” 

Tevar rolled his eyes, “You know…when he sheaths his sword? When she reveals the tomb of passion to be plundered?”

Imperius just stared silently at him and the mortal simply sighed, waving his hand, “Never mind. Long and short of it, it was getting too cute puppy crush in there for my third-wheeling ass.”

“I thought you would be asleep.” Imperius murmured, looking out over Heaven, “Are you not tired?”

“Nah, not really but I blame it on all the coffee I chugged when we got back to get my nerves chilled. Getting shot at? Not high on my list of fun activities.” Tevar said with a shake of his head, taking the small smoking stick from his mouth and snubbing it out on the railing, “So, what about you? You’ve been making yourself sparse a bit. Nervous about having to tell me all your secrets?”

Imperius tensed, “I am not nervous about anything.”

Tevar frowned just a bit, glancing over at the archangel before he let out a soft sigh, “Then can you tell me what is really going on with that mark on your chest? It is looking worse every time I see it.”  
The archangel rose a hand up to trace over the mark subconsciously, remaining silent. He had not wanted to tell the mortals this soon. Frankly, he had thought he would have more time before it became too noticeable. But it was clear it was no longer just some smudge, some black blemish upon his armor. The center of it was bumpier, more flesh-like and the tendrils of it spread out like the delicate web of a spider. He could feel Tevar’s eyes on him as he finally looked away with a sigh.  
There really was no point in hiding it now.

“It is…a mark of corruption.” He finally murmured, “Demonic taint. During our raid of Hell to free Inarius, I was struck by a demon of hate and its seed has festered and taken root within me.”

Tevar tensed, glancing over briefly before looking away, “… is a terminal thing?”

“Yes.”

Imperius was tense, fingers curling against the mark as if he could hide it away, waiting for Tevar to grow upset and demand he told him sooner or making wild promises of how they would somehow save him. Instead the mortal remained quiet, his eyes staring off over the vista of Heaven. He idly moved for the pack of sticks again, taking out another one and slipped it between his lips. 

“How long do you have?”

“It is never a certain thing. A few days. Months. Maybe a year.” He paused for a moment, wings tensing, “But I do not think longer than that.”

Tevar nodded, hand trembling as he lifted his lighter up to lite the end of the stick, taking a slow deep drag of the smoke before letting it out again, “And what do you plan to do?”

“Everything I can before the end. As much as I can do to restore Heaven.” 

Tevar nodded again, letting out another trail of smoke, “Then that’s what I’ll help you do.”

Imperius tilted his head, posture still rigid as he regarded the mortal, “That is…not the expected reaction.”

Tevar chuckled, looking over at Imperius with a tight smile, “Maybe Aladria might react right, all up in arms, telling you to be strong, that it will all be better but…she probably hasn’t lived through being told she was terminal ill and had only a few months to potentially live.” 

The man turned away to gaze back out over Heaven. His expression looked a bit haunted now as he took another drag of smoke, letting it hiss out from between his teeth, “I was diagnosed with Nephelemic. Typically those who get that shit get a death sentence. They put you in a hospital and tell you how strong you are as you lose the hair on your head during treatment and watch your body start to waste away. “ He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh, “Everyone just staring at you with pity, wishing you well, and treating you like you are already gone rather than trying to make the little time left count. All you can do is just grin and bear it, act like you are strong and perfectly fine when you are crying yourself to sleep every night, surrounded by nothing but flowers and cards.”

Tevar looked over to Imperius, offering another sad smile, “I mean, if there is a way to help, if there is anything that can stop it, I’m going to be fucking one-hundred percent going for it, no doubt there and I’m sure you’ll try every treatment there is, but, I’m not going to just ignore your wishes either. Not going to start treating you any differently.”

Imperius wings fluttered a bit as he looked away, his posture tensing, “I thought you would be upset with me.”

“Why? Shit happens. Why get upset over what we can’t control? True, I’m a little miffed you didn’t tell me or Aladria sooner but…I can understand why you did it. I’ve been there.” He let out a soft laugh, “I can understand what fresh Hell you are going through.”

“You do not look ill now.”

Tevar gave a shrug, smiling sadly, “Yeah. I survived. A lot of people don’t. I was a little miracle case, toted around across the ward when all I wanted to do was get the fuck home and try and get back to normal and honestly? I never felt right after it. I felt so damn guilty that so many others died, people who had fucking lives and futures and weren’t some high school dropout loser and deserved to live.” He closed his eyes, “I didn’t feel like I should have lived.”

Imperius was silent for a moment before glancing at the mortal, “I’m glad you survived.”

Tevar smiled, looking over at the angel, “…me too. The day you crashed into my life and dragged me into this mess, taking me literally through Hell…I don’t know. I guess I found a little self-worth, saw that I can accomplish some pretty amazing stuff. That I’ve got good friends, a life unknown but one I want to live now until I’m grey. You changed my life Imperius.”

Imperius shifted some, glancing away, “You speak such high praise but when we first met, I was…not kind to you.”

“You were a very upset, loud, rather mean-spirited individual then as well but…you’ve changed a lot, or maybe not at all and I just got to know you better.” Tevar chuckled softly, reaching over to pat Imperius’s arm lightly, “I’m glad I know you.”

The archangel of valor gave a nod, feeling a rising pressure in his chest as those words caused a strange flood of emotions. He was feeling antsy and on edge, as if he had too much energy inside. With it though came a flood of harder to name emotions that made his entire resonance twist around. His wings were tensed and held close as he just gave a shake of his head. 

“And…I’m glad I know you.”

“And together, we are going to raise Heaven up. One way or another. At least got more angels about, maybe make more.” Tevar said with a chuckle, “Or maybe find more. Seems like little angels are locked up around every corner!”

Imperius merely nodded again, unable to find the words to really speak, just letting Tevar ramble on as his fingers curled against the banister. The mortal put such faith in him, such trust without question or any request for something in return. They had no reason to help him, yet they did. He threatened and was so pushy, yet they stayed with him. If Tevar knew what he had considered doing though, of the temptation he had nearly done-

“You okay?” Imperius glanced over to him, staring at him silently and causing Tevar to wince and look away, rubbing the back of his head, “…okay yeah. Stupid question there…”

Ipmerius sighed, looking away,“I just…” 

“Just what?”

“…would you think of me so well if you knew…if you knew I spoke with a prime evil while you were at that fair?” Imperius managed out quietly, “Mephisto…he did…he did speak to me that night. Promised the restoration of Heaven, the return of the conflict, if only I would…I would just kill Tyrael and be fine in letting Sanctuary burn.”

The archangel couldn’t look at Tevar, staring down at his hands, “That I considered it even… that I almost killed another in cold blood for selfish desires.”

“But you didn’t.”

The response caused Imperius to look up Tevar, expecting him to look angry or upset. The man wore a smile though, shaking his head, “None of us are perfect Imperius and like I told you before, mortals aren’t chosing bad consciously usually. Most of the time we just are stupid. Stupid and always wanting to make things better.” 

“But-“

“You didn’t kill him. You two don’t get along at all, but you didn’t do it Fuck, when we were being shot at and those guys were threatening to turn us into science experiments, you didn’t just leave Tyrael writing on the floor. You got him out. Yeah, the two of you get along like a fucking house on fire, but you had plenty of times to let Tyrael die and not once did you do it.” Tevar said firmly, “The demon clearly doesn’t know what you want. Doesn’t know a fucking thing about who you really are.”

Imperius shook his head, “But it is! It is everything I’ve wanted for so long, since before I was sealed!” He protested gesturing to Heaven, “Heaven as I wanted it, no council, only the conflict!”

“…was that really what you wanted Imperius?” Tevar sighed, “Or were you just trying to get back to the past and the connection you used to have with everyone?”

Imperius felt his voice falter as he stared at Tevar and feeling his words hit hard, causing the swirl of emotions to increase, “I don’t-“

“…I think you’ve been hurting for a long time alone.” Tevar said quietly looking away. “People aren’t angry for no reason, not unless they need to defend themselves or feel they have to. I can’t feel what you feel, but I know what that feels like. It’s easier to get mad and push people then admit you aren’t fine.” 

 

Imperius shook his head, struggling with the sudden swell of emotion that seemed to come down upon him, trembling and wanting to vanish away, wanting to get upset and scream. The anger and hate of the situation mixed with a welling sorrow, writhing inside and threatening to swallow him up completely. 

The mortal looked over at him, smiling that same sad smile, not one of pity, but one of understanding, of seeing another go through something painful that they still bore the scars of. The archangel couldn’t look at him, one hand rising to his chest. 

“You forgive me for speaking with the enemy so easily.”

“Evil always comes to tempt it doesn’t it? And it always looks good, like a giant chocolate cake laced with arsenic.” Tevar chuckled. “I’m sure if Mephisto showed up, I would like to say I would tell him to fuck off, but listen, he comes in and tells me he will bring back all my friends I lost to illness in the mines, I think I would be lying awake at night thinking about it.”

“But It is why I’m corrupted! I let the beast in, let its hatred mark me!” Imperius protested, voice wavering, “I let it in willing by giving in to my hatred and anger and letting it rule me! It is what I deserve!”

“…and don’t you think you are suffering enough without having to hold guilt over it, especially when you did no harm to anyone but yourself?” 

The question had Imperius shaking his head, trembling more. He wanted to scream at Tevar. He wanted to tell the mortal to be upset with him, to tell him he deserved this, not speak of mercy as he was.

“I don’t understand….!”

“You don’t have to. Living your life in a cloud of confusion is honestly what the fucking rest of us are doing.” Tevar said with a grin, “And some way or another, we are going to come out the other side. We are going to rebuild Heaven, go and punch this Mephisto in the face for trying to tempt you, and probably save the world six times over before we even stop to think. The whole future is ours, or at least, that is what my high school teacher told me when I wasn’t getting slammed for mouthing off in class.” 

Imperius looked at the man before looking away, shaking his head and finding it so hard to speak. He felt overwhelmed and broken inside, as if his resonance had turned to shards of glass falling to pieces within his form and he was doing all he could to keep that from showing. He wanted to scream at Tevar all over again, to tell him that there was no future coming, that he deserved to suffer and die for what he had almost allowed to happen, that he-

He jumped as he felt Tevar’s hand on his shoulder, the mortal leaning in with a small smile on his face, his eyes filled with an understanding that cut through Imperius and felt like it was slamming into the storm within his resonance. Mortals could not resonate with angels, they could not feel each other moods and feel the turmoil, but in that moment, he felt like Tevar could see right through him and feel every bit of pain, of despair, of anger, and hatred swirled up within layers of guilt, confusion, and frustration that had been simmering for so long without being really seen.

Tevar didn’t say a word, only looked at him, waiting patiently and Imperius felt that the mortal already knew the words he had to say before he himself was aware of them slipping out. The crushing, selfish emotion that was buried beneath the guilt and hatred. Beneath all that had happened.

“…I don’t want to die.”

The words were practically a whisper and sounded so weak and fragile to him. An utterance of the most innate, primitive desire of all beings of creation that lived and had the experience of breath or sentience. As an ancient a desire as when the first angels emerged from the arch, shrieking wordlessly and guarding themselves against the primal demons of old and all that they knew was they wanted to continue to thrive. 

Those simple words though caused everything to finally fall apart around him as surely as the diamond gates had crubmled to pieces before Diablo. 

“I don’t want to stop exsisting.” He whispered, voice choked with the raw emotions so long bottled up and hidden, “I don’t want to disappear.” 

The strength seemed to be leaving his legs as he sagged against the banister now, wings wrapping about him in a desperate desire for some sort of comfort as he voice broke into a choked sob and he turned to hid his face shamefully in his own hand The torrent of emotions, the words he had been unable to find, the weakness he had tried so hard to contain in front of everyone, all came lose and Tevar did not say a word, merely moving to wrap an arm about him an effort to comfort. That measure of creature comfort broke lose the final barriers as Imperius sank to the floor, allowing himself to finally break apart. 

Tevar remained silent but close, although the lack or comforting words did not bother Imperius and perhaps it was what he wanted. No, it had been what was needed for so long. That strange feeling of companionship so long denied in duty, buried away under wars and attacks and the death of so many. The grief of others and ceaseless dissonance that had been in Heaven for so long, weighing down upon his shoulders. Of everyone speaking but no one just listening to all that was inside for a brief moment and trying to explain away how he felt. 

For the first time, Imperius allowed the grief to overcome him, no longer able to stand strong. 

Angels did not cry, not as mortals did. For them it was a soft wail, a burn of energy and the inability to find breath or form words that were no more than a jumble. He had barely realized he was all but on his knees, sagged against the balcony with Tevar all but wrapping him up in a hug, murmuring soft encouragements to just let it all out and nothing more. In all of that, he managed to hug the mortal close, perhaps a bit too tightly, but it was hard to think about any of that. 

He told Tevar everything as if he were a blubbering fledgling confessing to some insignificant prank to an elder and unable to live with the guilt of the perceived greater wrong.  
Imperius wondered idly if he even sounded coherent between the broken sobs and babbling of inane things he had thought he had long forgotten. All the hurt for so long came crashing out like blood and puss from a long festering wound. He did not know how long he spoke, but it was not a short time. The sky above had fallen to the twilight of Heaven’s night and the gentle glow of the night flowers bloomed below in the garden of hope as they soaked up the nearly dissipated sunlight. Above, the sky was a purple, swirling blemish filled with the dancing lights of stars, thousands more than what would ever be seen on Sanctuary. 

Tevar was still beside him, looking a bit haggard and tired, but steadfastly remained at Imperius’s side, keeping closer and rubbing his back in a manner meant to be soothing. Imperius nearly managed a broken laugh, not having really the heart to tell the mortal that such a thing between angels was seen as far more intimate. 

He felt too drained and hollowed out for such thoughts as the last of the words petered out and he stared ahead, trembling and feeling miserably fragile. 

“…you must think me so weak now.”

Tevar snorted, “Imperius, if I had even a fraction of the stress you are dealing with, I would be setting up a permanent home in a counselor’s office, screaming from the anxiety, and probably eating myself into a sweet induced comma” He gave a pat to the archangel’s shoulder, “You are ten thousand times stronger than me.”

“I doubt that,” Imperius murmured, a hint of a broken laugh in his voice. 

“Hey, gotta boost your ego somehow.” Tevar said with a wink, “We can’t all be made strong like me. I totally didn’t have a break down ever this whole trip! I’ve not cried or thrown up or crawled into Aladria’s bed and asked if I could sleep with her because I was scared demons were going to somehow eat me like I was six years old.”

Imperius managed a snort and a half-hearted shove at the mortal, “You are awful…”

“You still like me.”

The archangel tilted his head before chuckling tiredly, “I suppose I do.” He trailed off for a moment silently, before looking over at Tevar again, his voice quiet, “Among my people... we hold titles in high regards, especially ones of…familiar status.”

He glanced over to Tevar, feeling a small shiver of uncertainty, “I would call you brother if you would permit that. I am not sure…how mortals see such things, but for angels, it is a sign of trust and I suppose a familiar love for another.”

Tevar blinked before brightening up and grinning wide, dispelling the small bit of worry from the archangel’s soul, “Hell fucking yeah I’ll be your brother from another mother! Er…multiple others in your case, but still. We can be so kindred spirit, found family shit. I always wanted an older, angry brother I could call to kick the shit out of people.”

The mortal raised his fist and held it as if expecting something. Imperius looked at it, then at Trevar before copying the gesture and raising his own fist. As he did, Tevar immediately brought his against Imperius’s making a noise like an explosion as he pulled it back, causing the archangel to stare at him for a long moment. 

“Was that…necessary?” Imperius finally asked. 

“That, my broperius, is a fist bump. All mortal brothers share in its epicness. Like a secret handshake.” Tevar explained, “So it was completely necessary.”

Imperius gave a vague nod, looking down at his hands, “I have kept you up late though.”

“Sleep is second to being there for someone who needs it.” Tevar said, reaching over to pat Imperius’s shoulder, “Do you feel better, bro?”

“….maybe. A little.” He murmured. 

The pressure didn’t seem to be there anymore, nor the swirl of emotions. His resonance felt like it had bled out through him before finally settling again. The tingle of corruption was there, but otherwise he felt…calm for once. As if he was finally taking a breath after so long sinking beneath the water.

“Sometimes we all just need a nice breakdown to get it out of our system.”

“Maybe.”

Imperius let out a sigh, slowly rising to his feet and offering Tevar a hand up, “I’ll escort your quarters, brother. Tomorrow we will have to see what information Aladria, yourself, and Itherael may gleam. Then ah…Itherael wishes to go to the mortal world to learn more about your technology. He seems to have new plans in mind.”

“I’m down for that and I’ll think of something so you can go with without having to copy a mortal. Maybe shrink you down and carry you in a purse.” Tevar said with a wry grin as he took the archangel’s hand. “I don’t know, but we will work something out. Also think we need to do something fun after all the doom and gloom.” 

“As a wise archangel once said, a moment of play will do the soul better than a lifetime of duty.” 

“Sounds like an inspiring quote.”

“It was one I just used a lot with my teachers to try and claim we shouldn’t have studies,” Imperius murmured, looking away, “One of my instructors told me there was no point in trying to teach me anything as my mind was like a vessel with a hole at the bottom. You pour in the knowledge and slides right out.”

“Eesh. That’s kind of harsh.” Tevar murmured.

Imperius shrugged, “I cared little for history and literature. I passed. Barely. With some assistance.”

He was not about to admit to the fact Malthael had helped him a great deal and most of those methods involved rather cunning and elaborate methods of cheating. Combat had been what he excelled at in school, not recalling dates or reciting poetry. Least of all writing such flowery thoughts.

Idly he wondered if any fledglings now benefited from the carefully written instructions on how to pass exams that Malthael had hidden away within a few books in the archives for the benefit of “future generations who have to endure this Hell in Heaven” as he used to call it. 

“We will need to swap stories of our school days. I’m sure we will find a lot in common there.” Tevar chuckled although he was muffling a yawn.

“Another time. You need your rest brother,” Imperius paused before dipping his head, “….and thank you. For listening.”

“Nothing to it bro.” Tevar responded, “Nothing to it. We got each other’s back from womb to tomb now. Earth to berth. Heaven to Hell.”

“Until eternity sings nothing but the praise of our victories,” Imperius added softly, putting a hand on Tevar’s shoulder. 

A single thought whisked him away to the mortal’s quarters and there were a few more shared words before the mortal retired to his rest. It seemed as soon as his head touched the pillow, he was fast asleep, sprawled out and snoring. Imperius snorted and only spared a few moments to tug the blanket up over the man’s shoulders more comfortably before quietly leaving the room. 

Imperius did not stray far, finding himself sitting at the table the mortals took their meals at and looking about the room at the strange variety of foods. He didn’t know what any of it was and there was a stab of regret that he let himself muse over before he rose to his feet and over towards the counter, poking through the various items and reading the strange description of things on the back.

He opened the small fridge and gazed at the rows of cold food and beverages before he reached to grab up one of the cans of bubbly fluid that Tevar seemed so fond of. He idly turned it over as he rose back to his feet and moved back to the table to sit, closing the fridge behind him with a light kick. He sat there staring at the can, inspecting it with some hesitancy before he carefully cracked open the top to peer in. The can hissed and a small gurgle of foam came up to wash over the top before it retreated. Imperius paused, looking at the fluid tilting his head. Really how mortals ate and drank was so weird and disgusting but… given his new brother was one, perhaps it was time to expand his horizons. Just a bit. Just enough to understand what he was talking about half the time. 

The archangel of valor sighed, feeling drained, but strangely at peace, lifting the can to where his mouth would be. He took a sip of the fluid, pausing to muse over the tart flavor, surprised he actually could taste mortal food, having thought Tyrael was merely making it all up and daring to take another sip as he turned to watch the sun starting to creep up from the horizon.

“We should learn to be as the sun: Die each night only to rise again better each time.” He murmured out loud, recalling words once uttered to him by another he once called brother. 

A quote of old wisdom from ages pass, when times were simpler and the world not quite so painful. 

Imperius took another sip, letting himself enjoy the calm of the dawn without guilt or duty to tear at his soul.

A new dawn to try and heal what was wrong for so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried while writing this chapter, but it also made me feel good at the end. It is something that NEEDED to happen I feel, for a while. That sort of having to break down before healing sort of thing. 
> 
> Get out all that tension and fill it with marshmallows! 
> 
> ...also gets the angst out the door so can focus on a fluffy chapter.


	16. A Moment of Peace

It had been a very long time since Imperius had seen the archives in such a state of disorganization where most of the floor and every table was covered in stacks of books, scrolls, and crystals. It seemed like a great gust of wind had come barreling through the halls, knocking everything off the shelves. The last time the archives had been in such a disarray had been when there had been expansion projects to increase the size in order to hold the growing collection of knowledge. Imperius idly wondered what the occasion was for the sudden disorganization as he wandered between the pile of books and carefully stepping over piles of scrolls on the floor. 

The sprawling mess only seemed to get worse as he drew towards the center of the archives, although the stacks of books and scrolls where more organized and the crystals more polished and set about in their proper order. It seemed Itherael had been busy already today.

Eventually he heard sounds of life within the maze of tomes. There was the sound of quiet conversation and the tapping of keys. Around another bend, he found Aladria, lips pursed as she carefully typed something into her laptop, fingers flying over the keys. She paused only a moment to reach over and grab another tome, eying its title before starting to type once more. For each book she finished, she added it to the growing pile to her left.  
Ithreal stood just off to the side with the scroll of fate, Talus’ar open. He was starting intently into the scroll, wings tensed and Imperius could feel a slow wave of irritation seeping off the angelic scholar. Either the archangel of fate had glimpsed some new vision of the future or, as it was after Diablo attacked, Talus’ar held nothing written beyond Diablo’s predicted victory. 

“Your library seems to be in a bit of disorganization, Itherael,” Imperius commented, “Is there a reason for the occasion?”

Itherael glanced up, casting a look about the archives before returning to the scroll, “Just taking inventory of what is and isn’t here. I’ve been away for so long and already I’m noticing texts have vanished, “He murmured, “I’m hoping a thorough search of Heaven might turn up the missing items.” He let out a sigh, wings dropping, “It seems that my own host began to neglect the proper care of the archives after I left. It is honestly less a mess now than it was before.” 

Aladria chuckled, shaking her head, “I’ve been using my own abilities to help locate items. Helping Itherael to keep record of it all digitally, making sure every title is accounted for. Already taken us a day to get this far, but I feel we are making a dent in it.”

“Slowly but surely,” Itherael murmured, still distracted by reading Talus’ar. 

Imperius gave a nod, coming up beside Itherael with a tilt of his head, curiosity gnawing at his core,  
“Has Talus’ar revealed anything to you?”

The question caused Itherael to look up, wings twitching some, “Huh? Oh…” they looked back down at the scroll, letting out a soft sigh, “No, the same problem persists as before. It speaks of so much up until Diablo’s destruction of Heaven and then afterwards, all is blank. I’ve read it a thousand times now and probably will continue to read it a thousand times more.” 

Itherael let out a sigh, slowly starting to roll up the scroll with practiced care, “I had hoped that after so much time passing, it would reveal more, perhaps give some clarity about the past, but…it remains a useless relic. No better use than any other scroll in the archives.”

Imperius could hear the touch of sadness in Itherael’s words and knew it was a hard fact to accept. For so long, the scroll had been a part of their life and identity. With Talus’ar now silent, there was no fate to interpret or purpose to really pursue. The archangel of valor had a sneaking suspicion that the sudden reorganizing of the archives was Itherael’s way of keeping himself busy as he had nothing else to really do, no greater purpose to serve. 

The nephelem had practically destroyed the need for fate in the order of creation. 

Imperius let out a soft sigh, placing a comforting hand on Itherael’s shoulder, “It is a pity. You always knew best how to guide all our fates despite the grim futures you beheld. Honestly, to have your guidance again in any form would be good to have again.”  
“It would make it easier to gleam what path forward needs to be taken,” Ihterael murmured, “I have been here scarecely two days and I have never felt so out of sorts.” 

Imperius let out a humorless chuckle, “It is…an adjustment for sure, but the mortals make it easier.”

Aladria dipped her head, a tinge of a blush rising to her cheeks as she worked, “Glad to be of help.”  
“A much needed help.” Itherael added, “Your technology is helping to make the process easier.” 

The archangel of fate paused, inclining his head thoughtfully as they slipped the scroll of fate into its protective casing, “I’m curious thought, has anyone consulted Chalad’ar?”

The archangel of valor shook his head, “No. Few have been able to use it, as you know. The wisdom it holds is often hard to parse for those not privy to its abilities.”

“I would have thought Tyrael would have attempted to use it as he was the aspect of wisdom at one point. He seemed to manage to gaze into it as a mortal.”

“Yes, and let us not forget he threw it as well and couldn’t explain anything he saw in it without babbling on about his love of mortals.” Imperius drawled, “And I doubt Inarius would be honest in what he saw within.”

Itherael gave a shake of his head as he set Talus’ar down upon the table, “Frankly, Inarius would never use the chalice. He thought Chalad’ar was nothing but an imperfect, petty relic. He would sooner toss it right out of Heaven than attempt to look into it. If Inarius were to try to use anything, he would go for An’Taris, the book of virtue.”

Imperius shook his head, “I do not think he would. Even he is not so brazen as to think himself capable of gazing within it. An’Taris’s legacy is an inheritance.”

“But he was brazen enough to steal the worldstone.”

The archangel of valor’s wings tensed for a moment before he gave a shake of his head, taking a seat at the table where Aladria was working, “He is with us now. I want to be able to trust him but already, some of his behaviors have disturbed me.” He paused before letting out a sigh, “He’s made…advances towards me.” 

Aladria cocked an eyebrow, “Really? I didn’t think he was really into anyone. I mean with how he seems to like to insult everyone…” 

“You are the supreme ruler of Heaven Imperius, of course he would court your favor.” Itherael gave a wave of his hand as he moved to a pile of books, starting to sort them, “Let us not forget he was always trying to garner favor with the council and had a voice in the politics of Heaven despite not being an archangel himself. He managed to gain Malthael’s trust enough that he was able to understand how to use the worldstone after all.”   
“I am of his character flaws. I’m not so easy to trust him now.” Imperius huffed.

Aladria frowned a touch, brow furrowing“He and Tyrael seem close though. He can’t be that terrible, can he?”

“No one said he was terrible, just…he can be very selfish.” Imperius murmured, “And very much focused on getting what he wants. He has a tenacity when it comes to fulfilling his dreams of the future.”  
“He and Tyrael are close for they are siblings, but do not think that constitutes complete trust,” Itherael murmured, “Be wary of him.”

Aladria looked between the two before giving a small nod, sighing, “Doesn’t really matter for me. He doesn’t speak to me too often and well, I am not fond of how he insults people.”

“Oh, just ignore that. He is looking to get a rise out of people.” Itherael grumbled, “Although he is being worse about it, no doubt due to his imprisonment and bitterness…”

“”From experience, ignoring him tends to make it worse,” Imperius mumbled, one hand raising to trace over the mark of corruption upon his chest. The gesture caused Aladria to glance up, staring hard at the growing, fleshier looking mark on his armor and Imperius could practically feel her eyes boring into him with silent questions. Her expression was worried as she glanced up briefly at him, but held her tongue, being not as forward as Tevar was about inquiring. 

Imperius glanced away, noting that earnest gaze, not wanting to disclose to her about what was wrong, at least, not yet.

“Aladria, Tevar is still asleep. I think I kept him up too late last night with training. However, perhaps some of your mortal food will raise him from his stupor?”

She blinked, looking down at the laptop before sheepishly looking up, “…honestly, I skipped breakfast this morning. I should probably get something to eat myself.”

Aladria looked over to Itherael, smiling as she tucked a lock of auburn hair behind one ear, “I got this stack done and logged though if you want to pick up where I left off. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“No, no, take your time, I wouldn’t want you to overwork yourself,” Itherael responded, his wings giving a small twitch of a flutter as he moved to put a hand over one of hers, “You’ve been a tremendous help already.”

There was a flush to her cheeks but she didn’t pull away from the contact, all but glowing as she beamed up at the archangel of fate, “It is the least I can do! I’m actually really enjoying this and seeing just what books that are found here. Already a few titles I’m interested in reading.”

“Oh?”

“Some of the books of poetry and legends seem very interesting.” She said, “Although, I might lose the beauty of it in my translations.”

“Perhaps I can assist in that. I wouldn’t mine going through some of the books together. It has been a long time since even I’ve read them. Perhaps I can help you improve your skills in reading our language.”

Imperius looked between the two, wings raising slightly. For being just two days since Itherael returned to Heaven the two were getting along very well. Of course they had common interests in the records of Heaven, but there were other things to be noted, like how close they were standing now and how neither of them had pulled their hand from the other’s touch. Not to mention Imperius could feel Itherael’s resonance and the delicate lift in it that indicated an angel that was in a rather affectionate mood. More physically though, it was hard not to notice the subtle flutter of Itherael’s wings whenever the two spoke.   
A part of Imperius was uneasy at it all, but given the two were happy, he pushed his own misgivings aside, convincing himself they were just building a strong friendship, not unlike Tevar and himself had.  
“How about you just both go to prepare some mortal food,” Imperius suggested, crossing his arms, “You need to get use to the mortal strangeness after all, and mortals seem to enjoy bonding over their food.”

Itherael paused, fidgeting some, “Oh, but there is still so much work to be done here. So much still needs catalogued and organized...”

“I think it is a good idea. We can only spend so much time in one place before we both might start hallucinating about where we misplace things,” Aladria said, moving to thread her fingers with Itherael’s, the two now holding hands, “I’ll show you how to make a mean omelet!”

“Mm…I suppose it would be something to learn and document. I don’t think we have any books on mortal cooking.” Itherael mused out loud, gaze locked on their intertwined hands, “I suppose it would be an interesting reprieve from our work.”

Aladria chuckled, starting to gently tug him along, “I’m sure Tyrael will help you in writing any book on mortal cooking. He’s quite a gourmand!” 

Itherael chuckled some, keeping his own grip firm on her hand as she led the way out and Imperius shifted from foot to foot, wondering why he was encouraging any of this. He was having even a hard time himself trying to say the two were just friends, but again, there was no telling if it would go further than where it was now.   
If it did well…it was something to muse over at a later time. 

Imperius sighed, shaking his head and rubbing at the taint, shuddering as he felt the fingers rubbing over the “flesh” that had started to manifest. The golden sun upon his chest was swallowed up by the bone-like substance with small bits of flesh stretching out at its edges to other bonelike protrusions that had started to manifest lower on his chest. Tendrils of corruption were not starting to creep down over his shoulder and into the left arm and a few trails of molted black were starting to appear on the left wing strut as well. At the current rate, it did not seem like he would last more than a few months.   
Thinking about it just brought with it a knot of worry that he did not wish to deal with. Not so soon again after his break down a fortnight ago.   
What he needed was some distraction. For a moment he considered going with Itherael and Aladria to make breakfast, but he didn’t feel in the mood to really indulge in human foods, not yet at least. His mind wandered back to their talk of Inarius. He didn’t want to seek the other angel out no, but it reminded Imperius that he had been meaning to forge a weapon for the former prisoner. With that thought in mind, he vanished from the library, teleporting to his forge once more.

Imperius took a look around, feeling a bit more at ease, mind already pushing away all other thoughts as he began to consider the blade that would need to be forged. Idly he ran his hand over the mighty anvil that bore hundreds of scars from the countless ages it had been used. It was starting to get a little too worn though and would need replaced soon. Something to worry about when there was time enough to go about creating a new anvil of Heaven. For now, it would last for a few more projects.   
Imperius let his mind wander to the design of the blade to be forged as he started to pick through the scrapped handles he had collected from his foraging before. He hefted up each sword pommel, tossing aside the more unbalanced ones and setting aside a few promising ones. As he moved a few scraps aside to look to see if anymore old swords lay in the pile, he paused, wings lifting in recognition. Carefully he reached down to grasp the worn handle, pulling forth a familiar blade. 

It was an old thing, barely useful anymore with how pitted the edge of the blade was, although the cross remained sturdy enough. It had the bulky, undecorated look of early weaponry of Heaven, more or less denoting its status as a blade more of antiquity and most likely a collector’s item. He turned the blade over, noting the etched signature and feeling his resonance waver just a note. 

The name Balgriel had been carved rather crudely just at the base of the hilt. It had been the name of one of the old angels that had raised him. A warrior of fortune, Balgriel had always been jovial and full of good humors, even to the end as he lay gutted upon Pandemonium, both legs missing and shakily asking Imperius if they had won the battle and managing one wheezing laugh of victory when told yes.

He had been a good warrior and this sword had served him well to the end. Imperius recalled that Balgriel’s blade had been gifted to his partner who had in turn given it to the one angel they had formed of a lightsong together. The name of that child though was escaping Imperius, but it did not feel right to scrap the old blade. 

Not when it should be returned to the chambers of the owner, even if they were no longer here. 

The archangel of valor glanced over at the anvil and then to the heart in quiet contemplation. There really was no rush to forge a weapon as he was doing it more to pass the time. He could allow himself this minor distraction to respect the memory of a dear comrade.   
This task though required consulting the old records of creation. 

A single thought took Imperius back to the Library of Fate, reappearing back in the sprawling maze of texts that had been created. Itherael and Aladria were still gone and he eyed the mess a bit before moving towards a slender staircase that spiraled downwards intothe archives of creation that sat below the library proper. The archicture in the archives was much older and less decorated with few lights still glowing along the way. Imperius had to pause before entering to light a few of the glowing orbs, bringing a low orange glow to the room. 

The archives were immense and rather untouch. There were still desks covered in old sheaths of paper and scrolls from when the Heavenly host of fate used to keep meticulous records of the births, deaths, and genealogy of all the angels of Heaven. The archive of creation has long housed such details and as time had gone on, more had been added and cared for. Those angels born of duet lightsongs could even track their lineages to an extent and other still could muse upon which angels may have made up their being.

Everything was still in meticulous order, but still, Imperius knew it would be no easy task to look up Balgriel in the records to see which angel he had created with his partner. With how many generations of angels there were in Heaven as well as the repetition of names throughout that time, it made looking up names difficult unless you knew approximate dates. He had no idea when Balgriel was born nor the exact day of his death, and to Imperius’s frustration, Balgriel seemed to have been a terribly popular name for an age. Halfway through his search, he all but gave up, not sure which one was his friend, and decided it was best to wait and ask for Itherael’s assistance in the matter. The archangel of fate was better at looking up information like this given he had all but memorized the timeline of history and knew more exact dates of evens. Instead, Imperius found himself looking up more familiar names and faces. His own name was easy enough to locate and as always, the moment of birth and his parents of record were listed as adopted, not of same resonance. All ten of his parents were listed and he felt a swell of nostalgia as he recalled how the group of rather aggressive angels that had taken him in had taught him so much about the nuances and glory of combat. He looked up Tyrael as well, noting that the records at least were kept up to a point as his death was noted within. Even Itherael seemed to have been written off as dead, although the reason recorded was missing.   
It was on a whim that he looked up Auriel within the records. If they had been maintained up to when Itherael had been declared missing or dead, there was a good chance her own fate might have been recorded. Relief swept through him, and no small bit of hope as he noted that she had no day listed within for when she had passed. That did not truly mean much as the records themselves might have just been poorly maintained after a period, but for Imperius, it was a small sign that maybe she had not met a vicious end. Maybe she could even still be alive. 

Yet there was a curious note upon the records under the archangel of hope. At the time of his fall, almost all of the sitting members of the council had been without “children” as it were as none had shared a duet lightsong with another save one. Be it from duty or lack of interest in such things, the council had remained rather celibate save for one in wild years before becoming an archangel. Auriel, for as long as Imperius had known her, was one of those on the council who had never taken a partner.   
Now though, the records showed a name that was connected to her and it did not seem like any angelic name he had heard of, even with the more odd names that had come later from angels wishing to give “Sanctuary-esque” names to a new fledgling. Imperius stared at the name, feeling a small edge of confusion and disbelief before he carefully closed the records. 

This was something he most certainly needed to ask Itherael about. 

The archangel of valor placed the blade he had brought on top of one of the desks in the records, making a mental note to see to it later, before heading back up the long stairway to the library proper. As he ascended, he could hear the murmur of conversation and his wings gave a small lift at hearing Tevar’s voice mixed in with that of Aladria’s. 

He came around the corner to find the two mortals going through something on the laptop, murmuring to each other in quiet discussion. Politely, Imperius cleared his throat, causing both to jump and look up. Tevar grinned, giving a wave, “Eh! If it isn’t my Broperius!”

Imperius cocked his head, chuckling at the ridiculous nickname, “And if it is not my Brovar, finally awake,” He retorted, “I suppose the food did wake you then?”

“Oh it did. As soon as the bacon started sizzling, he came crawling in,” Aladria said with a chuckle, “And seems you two are getting along well.”

“Swore sacred oaths of bromance a night ago,” Tevar informed her with a grin.

Aladria cocked an eyebrow, “By any chance did he tell what is going on with his chest…?” she asked with a pointed look at Imperius. 

There was a moment of awkward silence as Tevar gave a shrug although he glanced over to Imperius. The archangel of valor shifted some, bringing a hand up to pick again at the corruption on his chest, “I will tell you later. This evening in fact. I swear.”

She pursed her lips but nodded, “I’m holding you to it. Not fair you told Tevar but not me!”

“You were asleep at the time.” Imperius huffed back.

“Yep. He was telling me the other night when were cuddled up with your new cuddle buddy.” Tevar teased, “All nice and comfy.”

Aladria flushed, picking up a book to burrow her face in it, “Itherael is not my cuddle buddy! I was so embarrassed I fell asleep on them in the first place!” 

“It is okay. You two were so cute cooking together. Him, asking all his questions and you, excitedly explaining how to do it all and then he’s wanting to cook and you showing him how to fry an omelet. Then both of you insisting on washing the dishes. It was domesticated adorkableness.” Tevar drawled. 

“Oh, and the two of you already calling each other cute little bro-based nicknames isn’t?” She retorted, trying to deflect the teasing back on Tevar.

The move failed as Tevar merely smirked, glancing to Imperius, “Hey, I’m not ashamed of my adopted older brother and all the nicknames we will create. I embrace the love of my family whole-heartedly.” 

Aladria huffed, shaking her head, “Well maybe Itherael and I are going to be adopted siblings hm?”

“Don’t do that Aladria? You’ll make it weird when you two get married.” Tevar drawled. 

He ducked quickly as a book was thrown at him, laughing all the while and moving to hide behind Imperius who merely shook his head, “Speaking of Itherael, did he return with you?”

“They did yes. They just left to go to the pools of wisdom,” Aladria said with a shrug, “they said something about Malthael always hording books and never returning them and so went to see if a few missing texts were there.” 

Imperius gave a nod as he turned away, “I see. Then I will go there. Thank you for the information.”

“Its no problem.” She paused for a moment before clearing her throat, “So…Tevar and I were sort of planning a trip to Sanctuary to well, help Itherael research technology and how to bring it here to Heaven and well…we were wondering.” 

“We were wondering if you would come with us this time?” Tevar said with a grin, “Nothing too stressful really. Just a trip to a museum, some bars, and then a late night surprise, you feel me?”

“I do not like going on these ventures. I do not like to wear a mortal disguise.” Imperius murmured.

“We know and well, Itherael has told me that you can shift your angelic form. That you actually have a set of robes and not armor you could wear,” Aladria began slowly, “We can pass that off as something mortal as long as you hide your wings.”

Tevar grinned wide, “Can say you are some sort of cultist!” 

The archangel of valor glanced over his shoulder at the two silently for a long while before he let out a sigh, looking away, “…yes. I can adjust my form as need be. Such…adornments though are to be only used for ceremonies of great importance, such as the ordaining of a new archangel.”   
“How about going to the surface and not having to look entirely mortal?” Tevar asked.

Imperius hesitated, wings flicking back and forth in thought before he shrugged, turning away again, “I will consider it but I do not like to wear traditional garb so casually.”

“Just as long as you’re considering it, brother,” Tevar said cheerfully. 

Imperius gave them one last nod before he turned away, quickly teleporting to the pools of wisdom. He paused for a moment to look about, reaching out to sense where Itherael. Right away he felt the librarian within Malthael’s old citadel and was quick to follow the call of the archangel of fate’s resonance. 

It was not hard to find the scholar. He was grumbling loudly as he pulled books from the shelves of Malthael’s study, stacking then on top of a desk. It was clear Itherael wasn’t all that pleased, but it was more minor irritation over something that has always been a problem. Imperius entered, watching him work for a moment before shaking his head with a chuckle, “…so it seems you found some missing works.”

“Oh yes. Most of the missing books in fact! Malthael always had a terrible habit of taking out a plethora of texts and not bringing them back before I was beating down his door about it,” Itherael huffed, slamming another tome onto the pile, “And nothing is where it should be! For all his wisdom, he was terribly disorganized.”

Imperius shook his head, looking to the stripped shelves in the study, “He always used to say he has a method to madness.”

“Oh so he always said but it doesn’t change the fact no one could ever find anything in his study, himself included!” Itherael grumbled, “But I suppose you aren’t here to talk about Malthael’s lack of organization.”

“No, something else in fact,” Imperius amitted, taking a seat and watching the scholar work, “I was looking through the archives of creation as I wanted to try and find who Balgriel’s child was. I just happened to look up Auriel’s name to see if there was a record of death.”

“Rather clever of you Imperius. I hadn’t thought to do that,” Itherael murmured, “Was there one?”

Imperius gave a shake of his head, “There was no record of death but…” He paused, leaning forward some, “There was a name now attached to her. Galenid Penabriar…”

Itherael cocked his head, “Galenid Penabriar? Mmm…no, the name doesn’t seem familiar but seems to be more a mortal name than that of an angel.” 

“I know. That is what concerns me.”

The scholar placed another book in the pile, head tilted thoughtfully, “I don’t recall her seeing anyone, angelic or mortal when I left. She was under far too much stress to worry about such things. I know she spent a great deal more in the mortal world working on treaties and going to meetings of the various nations…. That sort of thing, but she never spoke of anyone with the name of Penabriar.”

“But…she might have…with a mortal!” Imperius hissed, shaking his head, “She had a mortal child!”

“Possibly more a nephelem. The child would favor angelic energy though,” Itherael pointed out.

“But with a mortal!” 

“It was becoming more common after you left Imperius. Love works in odd ways,” Itherael explained, although his wings gave a nervous flicker, “But ah, with how close you seem to the two mortals we have, I would have…thought you might be a little more open to that.”

Imperius huffed, “Just because I like them doesn’t mean I am considering anything of that nature with them!” 

“But suppose one of us were to say... engage with a mortal in that way. Would you still find it revolting?”

That caused Imperius to stop, wings twitching and flicking about some before letting out a sigh, “I will not lie and say I will not find the whole thing not odd and perhaps a little disturbing but I suppose if it makes those involved happy, then I’ll endure it.”

Itherael chuckled, “You have changed Imperius. In the past, you would have murdered an angel for such a transgression.” 

Imperius tensed, one hand rising up to touch the corruption as he looked away. He wanted to deny he would ever do such a thing, but the mark of hate upon him all but confessed that he was capable of such violence. It was a sobering truth. Yet, for how much he had hated mortals, he had never commited any sort of crime against them. 

Not like some.

Imperius glanced about the study of the former archangel of wisdom, fingers drumming slightly against the corruption. He hasn’t gone as far as Malthael had.  
“…did anyone tell you that Malthael is alive?”

The sudden question caused the archangel of fate to go rigid and his wings to pull in closer. A wave of distaste radiated from Itherael as he glanced over at Imperius and he gave a slow shake of his head, “I did not hear this. That is…very concerning news, if it is true.”

“It is true. One of his scythes was found. You and I both know his weapons would not exist without his resonance to feed their form.”

“Do you know where he is now?” 

“It is not known.” Imperius admitted, “There were signs of a struggle though so there is a chance he has been captured. 

“And there was no sudden spiral of death? No reapers or genocide?” Itherael pressed.

“Not that I know of know. Or at least, none the mortals have spoken about.” Imperius murmured, “We need to track him down, but we have come to an impass in finding new information on where he could be or even who might have captured him.”

Itherael gave another small nod. He carefully turned a book over in his hands thoughtfully, “…then I say we need to adapt further and figure out how to use this human technology. If he is active, he might be harmless, maybe not even complete. Could very well just be a shade of his that remained.” He paused, looking over to Imperius, “We both know he is capable of a great level of harm to the point that he will do anything, even try to use the power of Hell, to achieve his goals. Whatever virtue he had, he abandoned it the moment he took the Black Soulstone.”

Imperius nodded, feeling a slight chill, “I know, but it isn’t just for the sake of the mortals he needs to be found. For the sake of his own well-being as well. He is ill.” 

That earned a sigh from the archivist as he glanced to the archangel of valor, starting to gather the books and scrolls up in his arms, “Imperius, Malthael has never been ‘well’ per say. You know as well as I that he was capable of terrible bouts of anger, of lashing out at others, and being vicious. There was always something dark about his nature.”

“But he never attacked us.”

“No. No he didn’t, but it does not mean he was well before.” Itherael sighed, shaking his head, struggling a tad with the armful of texts he now carried, “But I will agree that we should locate him with all due haste… and see to it the laws of Heaven are once more served to one of our own.”

Imperius tensed some, one hand rising to rub at the corruption spreading on his chest, “You speak of putting him on trial.”

“If we do find more of our kin, I will tell you now, what he did has left a scar on Heaven. They will expect justice be done.” Itherael warned, “The sentence will have to be upheld and carried out once it is cast upon him.” 

“Since when do we care about the laws? No trial was brought upon Tyrael when he broke the law,” Imperius growled.

“Tyrael’s crime was not as serious as you make it Imperius. Hell had already broken the treaty.” Itherael said with a sigh, “Malthael killed so many.”

“And so you ask me now, that if he is found, he will be put on trial, found guilty by justice and sentenced to death,” Imperius shook his head, “Why bother finding him then if we bring him here only to die?”

Itherael glanced away, staggering a bit under the weight of all the scrolls and books he held, “Imperius… he might-“

“People can change.” Imperius growled, “I will pass judgement as the ruler of the High Heavens when the time comes and I see what has become of Malthael. An execution in Heaven has not been carried out since the ancient times. I will not be the first to bring back the punishment now.”

“…but letting him rot away in prison is not a better fate.”

The archangel of valor couldn’t help a sigh. Itherael spoke the truth, but it did not mean it did not make his core ache so knowing what would have to be done, “Things are too complicated now.”

Itherael chuckled humorless, “It does seem that way yes?”   
“Too many things left unknown as well. Too many new names and connections.” Imperius growled, feeling a slight tremor of anger, “The guilt of knowing I could have been here, had I not fallen.”

“It was not your fault, Imperius. You were left to your fate and I….” Itherael sighed, moving to set some of the books down on the table, “I lived in such guilt from that action. Even now, I only feel more guilt as I feel I abandoned Auriel in Heaven.”

He paused, unable to look at Imperius, wings tense, “I only hope…if she did have a mortal child, that she became as they are and lived a short, happy life with her family, away from the politics and backstabbing in Heaven.”

Imperius looked away. He could not bring himself to agree with Itherael’s words. Such an existence, rotting away within your own skin, did not sound happy. To feel one’s body grow weaker and weaker with age, the mind failing along with all senses sounded like a personal Hell in of itself.

“She may yet be alive.”

“Then why hasn’t she reacted to us?”

“Maybe for the same reason you could not.” 

After all, a demon lord of hatred had all but confessed that he may have angels locked away. Given his obsession for Auriel, it was not too hard to imagine the demon might be holding her captive somewhere. It was just a matter of figuring out the beast’s game and finding where his lair was.  
Just another search that required information they simply did not have.

“I suppose,” Itherael said softly, “If Auriel is alive, she would ask us to be more hopeful about the situation, so, given that logic, I guess we should expect the best of her situation.”

“Yes. She would tease us something awful to see us so dour.” 

Itherael chuckled, once more heaving the stack of books up, nearly buckling under the weight, “Then we need to find something to distract us from our endless gloom. The mortals are planning such a trip, I was told. Aladria has quite a few plans.”

“They brought up with me earlier…” Imperius murmured, “I am not sure if I will go though.”

“I personally would feel….comforted to have you there. Given my experience last time I was there and nearly hunted. Knowing you are there to keep us safe well,” Itherael shook his head, staggering forward a few steps, “Your strength is always appreciated.”

Imperius moved forward towards the scholar, taking a few of the books from the top to carry with a shake of his head, “I just do not like being around large groups of mortals. Not all of them are as good as Tevar and Aladria.” 

“Oh I’m very aware of that, but we cannot just ignore the knowledge we could gleam,” Itherael pointed out, “This technology of theirs can be used to move forward. I’m certain I can divine what we need from being able to have access to the entirty of their knowledge on this internet.”

The archangel of valor’s wings flicked back and forth before he let out a sigh, “I will go, if only to ease your concerns so you can focus on studying their technology and how we can use it then and only for that reason.”

Relief washed over Itherael’s resonance, his shoulders slumping, “Thank you Imperius. It truly does mean a lot to have you there. I’m sure Aladria and Tevar will be most please as well to have you. They are fond of you.”

“They will, my brother in particular,” Imperius responded, taking a few more scrolls from the load Itherael was carrying to add to his own.

The use of the familiar term caused Ithereal to pause and give a slight tilt of his head, “Brother?”

“Tevar.” Imperius clarified, “He is my brother, a dear companion.”

The reaction from Itherael was not what Imperius. He expected something cheerful to be said or at the very least, a neutral response. Instead, the archivist seemed almost a tad nervous as he looked over at Imperius, one finger tabbing erratically against the stack of books he held.

“What?”

“Well, I mean, I for one am fine with it. I know that you are not entirely ready to extend that title to me, given all that happened. I have come to terms with that but, ah,” Itherael shifted his grip on the scrolls some, “…I do not see Tyrael reacting well to this.”

Imperius snorted, coming over to help take some of the books and scrolls from the scholar to assist them, “And why should that matter?”

“I know you two are at odds and clearly have little love for each other. The things you say about each other are, ah, best not to repeat, but we are trying to unify our cause going forward,” Itherael murmured, “It might seem a bit…unfair how you so readily accept Tevar but when Tyrael was a mortal, you were particularly spiteful.”

The archangel of valor’s wings flared some, as a touch of anger began to well up in his soul. His grip tightened on the books he carried, digging armor against the spine as he leaned towards Itherael, armor turning a rosy color.  
“Unfair? There is nothing unfair about it!” He hissed “If Tyrael had been made mortal by no fault of his own, if it had been some accident, some injury caused in the destruction of the world stone, I would have called him brother. If he would have answered for his transgressions and been given trial and sentencing like any other angel of Heaven, I would have called him brother still. He made his choices that what we had meant little to him and that he was above our laws and above justice itself. He is no blameless victim! I had every right to treat him poorly when he had done the same to us!”

“I didn’t mean to-“ Itherael let out a sigh, shaking his head, “Nevermind… thank you for your help now. Let us get these texts back to the library.”

Imperius could tell his response didn’t sit well with, the archangel of fate, and there was a growing sliver of resentment that for some reason, Tyrael was still right and didn’t deserve anything to be done to him. He may have been justice, but that did not mean he was above the laws of Heaven. Just because Hell had broken them, did not mean they had to sink to their lows. The anger continued to simmer as he teleported to the archives, and slammed the books a bit harder than intended on a table. The sudden abrupt bang caused the two mortals sitting nearby to jump and look over, Aladria looking confused and Tevar already able to sense that Imperius was getting into one of his moods. 

“Got roped into library duty eh?” Tevar asked as he rose from his seat. 

“No. Itherael just likes to think he can carry more than he actually can.” Imperius growled.

There was a flash nearby as Itherael appeared, moving to set his own stack of books down quietly. He didn’t say a word, only glancing up a bit as Aladria approached him, cocking an eyebrow, “I guess you found everything then?”

“Quite a few, but probably only a fraction of the missing texts,” Itherael sighed, looking away. 

Imperius cocked his head, watching as Aladria smiled, resting a hand on Itherael’s shoulder without saying a word. The archangel of fate turned towards her, quietly raising a hand to rest over her own, neither speaking for a short moment before both were looking away, fumbling for books.

“So ah, I say we pick up where we left off yes?” Aladria said quickly, “We were just about to organize the early histories of Heaven.”

“Yes. That is a most excellent idea. I’ll check through this pile to see if any of the missing tomes on the battle of Light’s Last Stand are here.” Itherael responded, wings fluttering rapidly, “And ah, what was the other one we were missing?”

“The War of Echolons,” Aladria supplied, hurrying over to her laptop. 

Itherael nodded, “Ah yes. Thank you…”

Imperius watched the two settle quickly to their tasks but couldn’t help but notice how the two often brushed up against the other and was quick to come to the other’s aid, hands brushing. Tevar was smirking the whole time, eyes slitted with a knowing look as if he could see right through both of them and know what they were up to. The archangel of valor gave a shake of his head, glancing to Tevar.

“So what is your mad scheme for heading to Sanctuary?”

“Just a day trip really.” Tevar said with a shrug as he slid his hands into his pockets, “ We are going to some museum of technology or something, then after that, just going to slum a few bars to relax at until the evening. Then well…” he gave a wink, “The last thing is a surprise. A good one, promise.”

“I have agreed to go to keep an eye out for enemies and nothing more.” Imperius grumbled, “I’ll wear more…ceremonial garbs this once, just to honor his wishes.”

“Sounds good to me bro,” Tevar said, eyes lighting up excitedly, “And I mean, we are going to Caldeum during an important festival. Aladria says it is like, the Day of Snakes. Supposedly supposed to commemorate some demon lord being thrown out.” 

Imperius let out a sigh, looking away, “Fine….but I do not know if…the corruption will be hidden.”

“Just minor illusion to cover it for a period?”

Imperius hesitated before giving a small nod, “I can do that much yes.”

Tevar was giddy with excitement and a part of Imperius’s resonance seemed to warm with the mortal’s obvious happiness. He was glad he could do something to make his brother happy in some small part, even though he was not looking forward to this trip. 

The mortal glanced up at Imperius, rocking his knuckles against Imperius’s nearest shoulder, “So…can I see how you look without the armor? So it isn’t such a shock for your poor, poor younger brother?”

Imperius paused before letting out a sigh, “Very well.”

He stepped back from the mortal, taking in a deep breath before focusing his attention on his being. It had been a very long time since he had assumed the more traditional robes of Heaven rather than his armor. Such a thing was rarely worn in the host of valor, especially given that they constantly had to be ready to repel the forces of Hell. That, and more often than not, any self-respecting angel of valor wearing robes around rather than armor was the source of teasing more often than not.

Imperius’s armor began to shift smoothly, becoming more a radiant light as it readjusted. Gone were the bulky shoulders and thick armor, replaced by more flowing robes, the armor more streamline against his frame and making him look less imposing. A hood formed, the helmet shifting to become half there. His wings struts remained for now, although the wings became slightly smaller and less brilliant. 

To be fair, Imperius always hated how his “ceremonial robes” fell upon him. It reminded him far too much of how he had appeared as a fledgling and Heaven above, had those years of being smaller than every angel in Heaven been agonizing ones for the warrior to be. Especially when the first demon he encountered had quite literally laughed itself to death at the sight of him.

Malthael had always teased that the humiliation of that single event had caused him to be angry and unafraid ever since. 

Slowly he turned to Tevar, hands nervously folding within the longer sleeves of his robe, “Is this better then?”

“You look like you are some wise monk about to lay down some wisdom and religion upon me,” Tevar said with a chuckle, “That will work, especially when you cover your growth there with an illusio. You fine with moving about in that?”

“For a time.” Imperius grumbled, “I do not like this still, but for you, I’ll endure.”

“Best brother is you Imperius. I owe you a big favor now. Whatever you need, whenever you ask, I’ll say yes even if I find it not really something horribly dangerous or death defying like punching Diablo in the face,” Tevar promised, placing a hand over his heart, the other one raising as if he was swearing an oath.

“Mm. I would not ask that of you brother. I can do that on my own,” Imperius drawled. 

He focused for a moment and the corruption shivered before suddenly vanishing beneath a simple illusion. It was an easy one to maintain, more for the fact he knew what it was supposed to look like. Seeing himself without the corruption caused a slight pang of remorse to bloom in his chest. It was a grim reminder of just how much it had spread. 

“How soon do we leave?” 

“Half an hour.” Tevar responded, glancing over to where Itherael and Aladria were sorting books, quietly talking to one another, “You think the two library geeks will figure out how to get technology working up here?”

“Of course. Itherael never forgets anything once they have heard or seen it once,” Imperius said, looking over to the two scholars, “Once they knows how your technology works, they will be able to figure out a way to use it.”  
“So pretty much he’s a walking library of facts. Man…bet he is a must have for triva night!”

Imperius tilted his head, not sure what a trivia night was or why Itherael would be good at it, but wrote it off as just another odd thing mortals did. Really he wasn’t in the mood to ask, thoughts already stewing on the fact that he was most likely going to be in a mortal city, surrounded by them, feeling ever seed of evil and demonic presence in great detail. The thought of it had his resonance quivering in revulsion. At the same time though, just looking at Tevar and Alardia, he had to remind himself there would be good ones too, ones that would just be strangers and nothing too terrible. 

“You okay?”

“I’m as fine as I can be.” Imperius murmured, starting to head to the exit of the archives, “I am not looking forward to this is all.”

“Well, who knows? Maybe once we get there, you’ll like it better.”

“I don’t like being surrounded by strange mortals,” Imperius grumbled.

“Don’t worry. Aladria and I will surround you so you have two known mortals as a buffer against the unknown,” Tevar assured him with a grin.

“Let us just get this over with. Where are we all meeting?”

Tevar chuckled, “Impatient are we? We are meeting Tryael and Inarius in the gardens. Tyrael went on ahead to scout out the area, make sure no huge demons are there so we can be left in relative peace.”

“What about the mortal group?”

“They won’t make a move in a hugely public place. They do that, they will be on the news.” Tevar said with a shrug, hooking an arm about Imperius and starting to tug him along towards the gardens, “Can’t have that. Most they will do is be watching us like hawks and even then….they are just going to watch two people geek out over museum shit while the rest of us wander around.” 

“If you are certain, brother,” Imperius murmured. 

He couldn’t shake the feeling though that something had to go wrong. It seemed during every trip something was bound to happen, especially with how unpredictable mortals could be Not to mention he was always skeptical of what Tevar said with truth, not out of suspecting the man of any deceit, but for the simple fact Tevar tended to assume the best of any situation. 

By the time Tevar had half dragged him to the gardens, Imperius was feeling less and less sure about this whole thing, fidgeting and huffing, feeling a shiver of discontent. He felt exposed without his usual armor. His nerves were not settled when upon seeing him, Inarius had to let out a snicker.

“My my Imperius! You are looking less imposing than usual!”

“If you value your life, Inarius, you will still your tongue now.” Imperius growled.

The former prisoner shook his head, seamlessly slipping an illusion over himself. His disguise was different now, more stylish by mortal standards, Imperius supposed, with a scarf wrapped about his neck. His choice in fashion time was more akin to what female humans wore and even his features were smoother. 

Tevar arched an eyebrow at the look, causing Inarius to chuckle, “Angels don’t abide to gender as your kind does. Frankly, I have worn the faces of men and women throughout my time on Sanctuary.” 

“Is that why Itherael is sometimes he and then sometimes they?” Tevar asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

“Itherael responds to either.” Imperius said with a shrug.  
Inarius crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow, only glancing over when Tyrael landed beside him, giving his brother a nod, “Where have you been brother?”

“Scouting ahead. All is well in Caldeum. There are demons, but none that are powerful enough to cause trouble.” Tyrael said, wings flicking out. 

For a moment, the archangel of justice paused, eyeing Imperius. There was a moment of tension before he turned away with a dismissive flick of his wings, looking about, “ALadria and Itherael haven’t arrived yet?”

“Probably busy making out or something in the- ow!” 

Tevar winced as he rubbed the back of his head, glancing over to where Aladria and Itherael had teleported in. the mortal scholar had wasted little time in smacking Tevar for the comment she had heard him start, giving him a glare. 

“Stop it Tevar. You are not funny!” 

“You only hate me because I’m right!”  
Aladria huffed giving him another smack causing Tevar to slink away to hid behind Imperius, “Bro, tell her to stop hitting her.”

“Brother, I care about you and your safety, but you were asking for that one.” Imperius drawled.  
“Brother?” 

Imperius glanced over to where Tyrael stood, noticing the archangel’s entire form was tense and his wings pulled close. There was a slight tremor of anger slipping pass the cold attitude he had put forth, arms now crossed tight across his chest, “Since when do you call a mortal your brother?”

“Since Tevar.” Imperius growled back, “It is no concern of yours.”

Tyrael took a step forward, only to be impeded by Inarius smoothly stepping in, raising his voice, “Now then, how about we get off to Sanctuary now and save our arguments for later yes? I for one am sick of everyone yelling at everyone.”

“Terribly rich coming from you,” Itherael drawled, carefully slipping into his own disguise, “Given your perchance of saying rather hateful things.” 

“Hey everyone! Let’s go now! With a crowd of people around, maybe we can all remember we actually like each other!” Tevar said loudly, making a shooing gesture, “Also Itherael, mouth is wrong…ah…I would just wear a covering.”

The archangel of fate blinked, before dipping his head and soon a cough mask slipped over his features, “Apologies…it is a lot of work to think about all the things that need to move and even how they move.” 

“It is.” Tyrael said, his tone a bit flat as he slipped into his own disguise, “Being a mortal has helped me in maintaining a believable illusion. Although it seems that my being a mortal is less acceptable than actual mortals.” 

Imperius ignored the comment, crossing his arms and looking about the group, “Let us just be done with this. I am already not keen on this venture already. Let us be away before I change my mind.”

“Ah, you can change your mind? Who would have guessed with how stubborn you are,” Tyrael drawled.   
Any response Imperius made was cut off as Tevar wrapped an arm about him and patted his side, “To Sanctuary big guy! On the double! All the way to Caldeum!”

The archangel of valor let out a growl before focusing his attention to Sanctuary and in a moment, they were gone before another snide comment could be put forth. 

Imperius had already suspected the trip was going to test his patience and endurance. Just a few moments in the place and he already felt like he wanted to be elsewhere as soon as possible. 

The first thing Imperius surmised was that mortal cities were meant to just be loud at all times. The air was filled with the sound of throngs of people moving about, the blare of horns and occasional notes of music from shops they passed by. There wasn’t a moment of silent with constant hum of some machine or group of people in the background. He supposed it was meant to be beautiful as well as everything was bright and colorful, yet all of it was dulled by an underlying dirtiness that clung to every street and building. It was nothing like the grandeur of Heaven. Not to mention, every dark crevice of the city seemed to radiate a dark energy of lingering demons that, for now, kept out of sight, but their malevolent only made the city smell more rank. Ironic as the décor on the streets around them was meant to celebrate what the inhabitants thought was an ancient myth of Belial being thrown out of the city.   
Imperius was rigid as he walked, clutching onto his forearms within the wide sleeves of his robes, eyes fixed more on the pavement to avoid the unwanted grime that mortals seemed to drop onto the streets. Having watched one mortal spit on the ground had Imperius all the more aware of the various dried bodily fluids he might be walking upon. 

“Imperius, you don’t have to watch the ground. Pretty sure you know how to put one foot in front of the other.” Tevar drawled. 

“I am not stepping in mortal spittle.”

“Just don’t think about it.”

“I’m thinking about it. You saw that man!”

Tevar sighed, glancing to Aladria who merely chuckled and gave a returning shrug, keeping one hand on Itherael’s arm to make sure the archangel of fate didn’t run into someone as he looked all about, gawking like a seasoned tourist. 

“Mortal spit will do you no harm, Imperius.” Tyrael drawled, “You are behaving like a child.”

“Spare me, Tyrael. Perhaps you are fine with wallowing in your own filth for years as a mortal, but I’m not about to go roll in it as you did,” He snapped back. 

“Guys please. We are here for family fun time, not constantly bickering,” Tevar grumbled, “Maybe Aladria and I should have taken you to a relationship therapist to talk your problems out.”

“Oh no, there is no talking with Imperius.” Tyrael growled, “He already has his mind set that he is the victim in all this.”

“Me?” Imperius hissed, resisting the urge to manifest his wings and flare up at Tyrael, “Shall we go over again all that you have done?” 

Tevar rolled his eyes, moving to stand between the two, “How about you two don’t talk to each other this whole trip, act like the other is invisble, and we don’t get into anything until we get home?”

“I will try, but with how wide he is, it will be hard to do,” Tyrael snapped.

Imperius would have been upon him then if not for Tevar quickly getting between the two of them, shaking his head, “Cool it Imperius! Getting angry over someone calling you fat-“

“I’m going to wring his neck!”

Aladria sighed and Itherael glanced over curiously while Inarius was doing his best to keep from laughing as Tyrael strutted ahead without a glance back to the angry archangel of valor. Tevar just grunted, giving Imperius a slight elbow into the ribs, “He could have called you a lot worse! He could have said you were dummy thick or the archangel of whales! Save your anger for a real insult!”

Imperius growled, shoulders hunched before looking away, stomping forward, “…this trip is awful. This place is awful.”

“Stop pouting brother. You are making me look like the older sibling.” Tevar huffed. 

“If it is so awful, you can always just go back Imperius,” INarius added as he inspected his nails, a sly smile in place, “But then, if you do that, why I say Tyrael would have won this battle of wills.”

If he had been in his armor, Imperius knew he would have been flushed a burning crimson. He felt the corruption ripple beneath the illusion and forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down, looking away with a soft huff, “All of you are terrible.”

“Love you to brother.” Tevar drawled.

The archangel of valor glanced at him before looking away, “All of you are terrible but Tevar and Aldria…”

Tevar merely chuckled, shaking his head, but the mortal looked relieved, no doubt glad the situation was so quickly diffused. Imperius blamed it on so many mortals about and not wanting to make them look at him even more than they seemed to already do in passing every time he seemed to glance about. A low growl rumbled in the archangel though as he returned his gaze back to the ground, continuing to solemnly march forward after the rest of the group. 

It felt like they walked for ages along the sidewalks before the towering stone skyscrapers finally gave way to open air. Here, only a single large, rather squat building dominated the landscape with a flow of people coming in and out and various cars crowded about its base. It was a strangely designed building, more flowing and made of more organic arches and did not seem to fit in with the older architecture around it. A large sign stood outside, proclaiming it was the museum of technology and computer sciences. 

“Oh, this is a lot bigger than I thought!” Itherael exclaimed, “I was imagining it would be the mere size of the Caldeum library.”

“It is honestly bigger on the inside as they got a few basement level exhibits,” Aladria said, eyes lighting up with excitement, “Those levels were once sewers of the old city, converted into useable exhibits. Most of the technology that is best seen in the dark are down there.”

Tevar shook his head, “Not going to lie, I’m just here for the robots. You two have fun reading all that technical jargon.”

“Please just tell me there are less mortals inside…” Imperius grumbled, shoulders hunching. 

“Yes indeed. We cannot have Imperius suffering from some mortal ailment like cooties,” Tyrael drawled with a roll of his eyes, “If but one mortal he does not like touch him, he might burst into flames.”

“Brother please. Wit is not your strong suit,” Inarius said chidingly, “I for one am interested in seeing some of these vehicles in more detail.”

“Well, everyone seems to have a place in mind. We can split up and meet back in the lobby when we are done. No need to all breath down everyone’s neck.” Tevar said, clapping his hands together. 

Aladria eyed Tevar suspiciously, lips pursed, “Are you actually going to look at the exhibits or just hang around in the arcade.”

“I’m going to look. I’m going to educate myself. I’m no barbarian,” Tevar swore, although he sent a wink Imperius’s way. 

The archangel just tilted his head, not sure what the wink was supposed to mean or why Tevar was sending it his way, “What if something attacks?”

“Trust me, nothing is going to happen. IF an attack happens, the military will be here in two seconds driving a tank over any demons or strike force,” Tevar drawled with a wave of his hand, “We meet in the lobby in eh, three hours yeah?”

“Fine.” Aladria sighed, “I guess it will help in ah, keeping the peace too…”

“Good! We are on the same page!” Tevar said, already grabbing Imperius by the arm and starting to head off, “Come on Inarius, you can join our party and we can leave the nerd patrol to their thing.”

“Nerd patrol?” Itherael echoed with a tilt of his head. 

Aladria rolled her eyes, “Ignore him… you’ll save braincells.” She grumbled. 

Inside the building, much to Imperius’s annoyance, there seemed to be just as many people, all crowded about strange exhibits and watching demonstrations of mechanical moving contraptions. Still other exhibits seemed to light up brilliant with all colors of the rainbow, creating illusions or others able to create sound. It was nice to look at, but Imperius quickly found himself losing interest as he stared at the half formed hull of a car.

“This is not as entertaining as Aladria would have me think.” Imperius grumbled. 

“Listen, this place is Heaven for certain people. Those people are like Aladria and Itherael.” Tevar said, stifling a yawn, “But we got to act like we looked at stuff.”

“I’m finding this rather educational to be fair,” Inarius said from where he was leaned forward to read the display plaque, “The ingenunity of mortals rivals that of someo f the greatest engineers of Heaven.”

“It is very easy to rival your brother, Inarius. Fledglings come up with better plans than he.” Imperius drawled.   
“Now now. Let’s be nice. We do need to get along if we want to move forward,” Inarius glanced up, smirking some, “And don’t you need to watch your anger?”

Imperius huffed, one hand rising to his chest subconsciously before he forced it down, looking away, “I just want something more to do…” he finally grumbled. “Are there not exhibits that let you do more?”

Tevar merely grinned, “Thought you would never ask! She calls it an arcade, but it is just the hall of games! Let us go forth and get all the high scores!”

“Isn’t that the place she said we aren’t going?” Inarius asked.

“Since when do any of us follow rules?” Tevar gave a wave of his hand, “We saw everything right? We can spend money on some light entertainment.”  
Inarius cocked an eyebrow, “But isn’t that arcade where most of the children have been going? IT does not seem like it is meant for older mortals.”

“It is for all ages. How much money do you think kids can actually put into machines hmm? Enough of this talk though, we are losing game time!”

Imperius just shook his head, letting Tevar lead the way through the crowds, shuddering some as he looked about.   
“Do mortals enjoy being crowded together like this?”

“Nah, just a busy day at the museum I guess. Must be a weekend,” Tevar said, keeping a grip on Imperius’s wrist, “Also it is hot as balls outside so everyone is keeping in to slurp up that sweet AC.” 

Imperius grunted, resigning himself to being dragged about through the crowds and working hard not to just shove everyone out of his way. At the very least, it took very little time for the three of them to reach the arcade which, as Inarius had pointed out, was crammed with the younger mortals more so than the older ones. The room was a bit darker and filled with the hums and whistles of strange flashing screens that seemed to be manipulated by the pressing of buttons and moving of a small shaft about. Despite his misgivings, Imperius found himself curious as to what they were doing. Tevar led the way to an unoccupied cabinet and slipped a few coins into the slot with a wink Imperius’s way. 

“Prepare to have your mind blown.”

“It does not look intimidating to me,” Imperius grumbled. 

“Oh, but you will feel the sting of defeat when you lose that first time,” Tevar promised, gesturing to the controls. “The stick there moves the character around, A is for attack and B is for jump. Simple enough right?”

Imperius looked to the man before gently taking hold of the joystick, the other hand resting with fingers poised over the button, “This is stupid.” He grumble, but nonetheless attempted the game.

He lost rather quickly and stared at the game over screen in mute anger, ignoring the snickers from Tevar and Inarius. He gave them no time to say a word, merely pointing at Tevar demandingly. 

“Put in more coins!”

Within five minutes, Imperius was engrossed with the game, hellbent now on beating it. His shoulders were hunched as he angrily pressed the button, cursing under his breath for every death his character suffered, but Tevar was there with a supply of coins, grinning like mad as he felt the archangel of valor’s newest addiction. 

“When we get technology in Heaven, telling you now? We can get games like this where we can play as many times as we want with just paying once,” Tevar said, watching as Imperius slew an enemy on the screen, “More compelx ones too.”

“Quiet. I’m concentrating!” Imperius growled back, “How can I beat this game if you keep talking?”

Tevar chuckled, shaking his head, “Already an intense gamer I see…but really, I’m out of change at this point so… make this round count.” 

Imperius did not respond, eyes fixed on the screen and feeling like every bit of his form was taunt. There was an edge to his concentration and he almost felt like he was in the middle of a battle, so close to victory. One mis-step. One wrong jump and the game over screen flashed once more. A snarl escaped the archangel and he nearly broke the whole machine, as he stepped back. 

“You broke my concentration.”

“Sorry Imperius. Just trust me. We’ll get you set up in Heaven and you can play as long as you like, okay?” Tevar promised. 

Imperius huffed, looking away, not wanting to admit how interested in the game he had been, “…where did Inarius go?”

Tevar gave a roll of his eyes, jerking a thumb in the direction of the small store that had stood at the entrance to the building, “You know how that one is and stores. Can’t keep the shopping bug off him.”

“He has a strange fondness for mortal trinkets….” Imperius grumbled, looking about the room. 

He tensed a bit, feeling almost boxed in now by the crowd and stepping a tad closer to Tevar. The mortal glanced up, pursing his lips at the tension he noticed in his companion before looking about, “You want to ditch the museum and head outside? I need some air, some space, and less people.”

Imperius tilted his head before nodding, unable to hide the relief in his voice, “That sounds like an excellent proposal.”

It didn’t take long for them to weave their way through the crowds and escape to an outside gardens that wrapped about the side of the museum. Given the heat of the day, most people had retreated inside leaving it rather vacant. Imperius allowed himself space to breath as he walked along with Tevar  
, allowing himself to enjoy the relative silence after having nearly wall to wall people around him.

Eventually the two found themselves sprawled out on a pair of benches, Tevar with his head tipped back towards the sun. The hazy light seemed to make the whole city shimmer and despite the sweet smell of the blooms around them, more unappealing scents of smog and filth still seemed to radiate through. Imperius stretched out his legs as he leaned back, the bench creaking some under his weight but holding. At the very least, the gardens were beautiful and well-manicured and made a pang of nostalgia radiate through his soul as it almost reminded him of Auriel. 

“The only thing I will admit is good about Sanctuary is the natural beauty of it.” Imperius grumbled, “Inarius clearly had a fondness for the wilderness of Heaven that he brought to this place.”

“Wilderness of Heaven?” Tevar asked, glancing over.

“Beneath the clouds there are other lands, more wild and overgrown.” Imperius explained, “Auriel often spent time there categorizing the plants and animals and growing a few species in the gardens of Hope. At least, the less dangerous ones.” Imperius gave a shrug, “The more dangerous ones she grew in her special gardens near the pool of wisdom.”

“I’m sure the angels who lived there appreciated having dangerous plants near em eh?”

Imperius chuckled, “They did in fact. Many used the leaves to create various poisons and like to tip their blades to use in combat against demons.” He paued, feeling his spirits dim slightly, “Most of them seemed long dead though when I was near the pools.”

“Well, seems we just got to find this Auriel and have her start sprucing up Heaven with a little greenery again.”   
The archangel of valor gave a shake of his head, staring over the gardens, “We don’t know what happened to her or if she is still alive.” 

Tevar gave a shrug, looking out over the park, “Well, the saying is, hope never dies. Must be some clue as to where she got to.”

“Just a mortal name. Galenid Penabriar”

That caused Tevar to pause, head tilting as his brow furrowed in thought, “…that name actually sounds familiar. Well, not the first name, but Penabriar… I swear I heard it before.” the mortal cursed as he sat up, taking out his phone, “Shit, this is going to bug me now!”

Imperius cocked his head curiously, “You heard about this name but did not know many of the other names put forward?”

“I think this guy was more recent? Or I don’t know….history recent? I swear I heard it thrown around in high school history once,” Tevar murmured, eyes narrowed as he looked at the screen of his phone. After a moment, he perked up holding up his phone to show what was on the screen, “Ah that’s why! Penabriar is the name of the royal lineage of Westmarch during the age of the Awakening. Starting with old Penabriar I or as history called him Penabriar the Bloody King for how he pretty much led a conquest across the world… They have a documentary on him and his lineage like ever damn week on public access channels.”

“That is not comforting. A war-like soul does not seem to match with Auriel.” Imperius murmured, shouders hunching a bit.

“Children don’t often grow up to be their parents Imperius.” Tevar said with a shrug, “But hey, might be like a great-grandson or something right? I mean, nothing is known about the origins of Penabriar I other than he sort of came out of nowhere, most likely some manor in the countryside. All that the blerp online says is that he rose to power with rebellion, seized the throne, and went on to rule and father a lineage of kings that collapsed five hundred years later.”

Imperius shook his head, “I know nothing about this. I just know she had a child with that last name.”

To hear that what might have been her child could have lead such a campaign of terror and blood across the world, gaining power and forming an empire built on such ideas of strength brought a slight worried tremor to Imperius’s soul. It did not bode well, but then, mortal names could be fairly common over the ages and this seemed more recent. Tevar’s theory of Penabriar I being a great-grandchild could very well be the case, but something was tugging at him that there was more to this than some lineage.

“I would say ask Aladria about it. She’s a historian. Probably has all that memorized.” Tevar said, starting to rise to his feet, stretching, “But let’s get to some shade. I’m starting to sizzle out here now.”   
Imperius rose to his feet with a nod, already making a mental note to later ask Aladria about this Penabriar as well as Tyrael given he seemed to be closer to the mortal going ons. Perhaps on one of his diplomatic ventures to Westmarch he had encountered such a mortal.

The two headed into the relative shade of pavilion nearby, sitting down and watching the few mortal meander through the gardens just below. There were a few more mortals, but they were able to secure a corner of their own for some relative privacy. 

Tevar took out a cigarette and lit it up, inhaling with a sigh before blowing a cloud out, “Amen for smoking areas…”

“Mmm….” IMperius murmured, leaning back and crossing his arms, “The others should be arriving in the lobby soon.”

“Mmhmm. Nearly time for dinner and a few drinks before making our way up to the overlook.” Tevar murmured, glancing over at Imperius, “But after that, well, not sure what we are doing. You know what are next move is going to be?”

“I don’t know.” Imperius admitted, “As much as I like to be quick about things, we have little information to go on. I want to find Malthael as well as Auriel’s fate, if it can be gleamed.”

“You think that demon we have in whimsical storage would know anything?”

That caused Imperius to pause. To be fair, he had all but forgotten about Rakanoth. The lord of despair, of course had history with Auriel as he had contained her during the invasion of Hell. Given that he was active at all and seemed to be privy to Mephisto’s larger plan, he may know something. The tricky part was getting the demon to talk and when he did, to be truthful about what he said. Demons, even the most desperate, often would say just about anything to avoid torture or to mislead any given angel.

It would be a gamble at best. The only individuals that a demon would speak truthfully to were those that oversaw them. Demons were fickled creatures, but they tended to hold strong loyalties to demon lords that proved themselves a leader or showered them with gifts to cement their loyalty.   
If there was some way to perhaps bribe Rakanoth…

“It is something to consider.” Imperius finally murmured, “If there is a way to confirm he speaks the truth.”

“Go get some lie detector test or something,” Tevar suggested, “And when he does tell the truth, we reward him with, I don’t know, cake. Even a demon can’t resist sugary sweet temptation!”   
Imerius snorted, “I do not think it will be that easy…” 

Tevar took another drag of his cigarette, giving a shrug as he turned to blow out a cloud of smoke, “Eh, it’s a thought right? Maybe you and I can play good cop, bad cop with him. You act all insane angry and I act all sugar sweet nice. At the most, might confuse him into blurting something out.”

“Maybe.” 

Imperius doubted that though. Rakanoth, for being a demon, was tight-lipped on such things and was loyal to the prime evils beyond anything else. Although, who knew what the extended visit in Whimsydale might have done to him.

Tevar glanced up, chuckling some before rising to snub out his cigarette, “Looks like the gang is starting to gather there,” He said, giving a nod towards the lobby, just within sight of where the pavilion was. “Guess the nerds have finally absorbed all the knowledge of this place.” 

Imperius looked over, sighing before rising to his feet and stretching, “I hope that the second part of this day is better.”

“It won’t be with that dour attitude,” Tevar teased, giving a nudge to Imperius before tossing out his cigarette but in the trash can.

Aladria was practically vibrating with excitement as the pair approached the group, wide-eyed and looking like she was in her element, once more holding hands with Itherael as the two chatted avidly with Tyrael. The conversation trailed off as Impeirus and Tevar came closer.

“There you two are! We were starting to wonder where you got to or if well, you were still in the arcade like Inarius proposed.”

“Nah. Went outside for some air. Brother and I were getting sick of the crowds,” Tevar said with a shrug, “So did your squad get all the information you needed?”

“Oh yes! This museum has been very informative!” Itherael exclaimed, “And I have found many an excellent source of information and feel that there is a very viable way to get this technology up and running in Heaven! It will most certainly radicalize how we have been gathering information and allows us to better monitor what is going on in Sanctuary.”

“So you becoming the archangel of cyber?” Tevar teased.

Itherael’s wings fluttered a bit as he ducked his head, “Well, given that the scrolls of fate have been rendered useless, I have to find some purpose in this new age. This coding is fairly easy for me to read actually, so perhaps…that is my new calling.”

“It is a noble one indeed, if all goes well,” TYrael said, crossing his arms, “We will need it to track where Malthael might be as well as who and what this group of mortals want.”

“Speaking of information, Aladria, Tyrael, does the name Galenid Penabriar seem familiar to you?” Imperius asked as the group began to head out of the museum and towards the street. 

Tyrael cocked an eyebrow at the question, more out of surprise of Imperius being civil towards him. He was a bit guarded as he shook his head, “I do not know the name, but it sounds like it is from Westmarch. It does not belong to any noble house at the time though.”

“Ah, so once more you provide little.” Imperius drawled, glancing to Aladira, “What do you know of that name?”   
“Penabriar is a known name of a lineage of kings in Westmarch during the Awakening Period, two hundred years after the latest records of the period we call the Darkening.” Aladria murmured, “Galenid though is not a name that has come up, but then, the first king of the Penabriar line, Penabriar I, has no clearly recorded first name. When the line of Penabriar collapsed, most records of them were destroyed.”

“How convenient,” Imperius grumbled, “In terms of finding information as to what happened to Auriel, that name is literally all that could be found.”

“So she had a human child? How ironic,” Inarius drawled, “When I fathered children that were not of purely angelic blood, you had me thrown in Hell.”

“Time’s changed.” Itherael murmured, “And with the arch unable to produce many angels…many saw it as a means to continue to creating individuals who could combat Hell in our place.”

Inarius snorted, “Heaven truly was getting desperate if they thought mortals would carry on such legacies. Mine has all been but forgotten despite being the reason for their existence and with the choice to make, I’m more than sure many turned to evil if only to spite their parents as mine did.” 

“Probably because you are a dick,” Tevar drawled.

The former prisoner merely chuckled with a shrug, “Doesn’t stop your kind from remembering the rest of the Angiris Council.”

Itherael loudly cleared his throat, shooting Inarius a look, “At the very least, once we have this technology set up in Heaven, we can do more thorough research into the PE\enabriar line and see if we can find any connection to Auriel’s fate.” 

“So many pieces and people to find, eh?” Tevar shook his head, “So we are finding someone named Malthael and tracing a line of kings back to an archangel. I still say you ask that demon what they might know.”

“Rakanoth is untrustworthy. He will not say a word,” Tyrael said. “He should be killed.”

Inarius tilted his head, “Ah, but a show of force, in my experience, can loosen the lips of demons. Not to mention when they are upset with their master, they may tell the truth just to get back at them.”

“That is a lot of assumptions being made. We cannot confirm what he says is true or not. Demons are notorious liars.” Tyrael retorted, “They serve lords of Hell. They would never tell us the truth.”

Imperius was silent, one hand rubbing over where the corruption would have been on his chest if not for the illusion. Rakanoth had information that they needed but to get him to speak frankly….

“I will speak to him.” Imperius murmured, “I think I have a way of getting him to speak.”

“Is it punching him?” Tevar asked.

“It is not punching him.” 

“Ah….stabbing then?”

Imperius just shot the mortal a look before letting out a sigh, “I have a plan. That is all you need to know.” 

“Most likely he has no plan and is going to do as the mortal say,” Tyrael drawled, “If history has proven anything right.” 

Imperius’s shoulders tensed as he glowered at the other man, taking a step forward only for Tevar to step once more between them, raising his voice,“Well, if we got all that sorted, I say we move on to the fun part of the agenda,” Tevar said, clapping his hands together. 

Aladria rolled her eyes, “And what is that?”

“You saidI get to arrange dinner.” Tevar proclaimed, “And I just so happened to pick a nice little bar and restaurant near the overlook that has all our greasy food needs and unending flows of booze.” 

“I’m not drinking more than a glass,” Aladria warned, “And I don’t even think anyone else but you can get drunk.”

Tyrael ducked his head, “I got drunk only once as a mortal and it was strange to wake up with no recollection of the evening before. I would not describe the headache and illness to follow as pleasant.”  
“Yes well, sacrifices have to be made to enjoy the elixir of the gods,” Tevar said with a shrug, “And you were mortal. Did you ever get drunk as an angel? Do angels even have booze?” 

Inarius scoffed, “Who do you think invented alcohol? It was a thing in Heaven and Hell long before Sanctuary, although how it is made is radically different.”

“What is heavenly alcohol made of? Unicorn dreams fermented in baby tears?” Tevar asked as they headed to a more secluded place in order to safely teleport away to the next location. 

“It is not really a liquid, as your mortal ales are,” Tyrael began, with a small shrug, “It’s…complicated. Imagine liquid light fermented from fruit that, in of itself, is more formed energy.”  
“So booze plants might drink, got it,” Tevar said with a smirk.

“The demonic ones though are made with blood,” Inarius supplied. “And usually a few other unwanted limbs involved. I’ve heard they enjoy a good bile ale.” 

Tevar made a face, “Yeah, then we are passing the Hell bars then… I don’t want literal piss ale.”

Imperius glanced over at Inarius, whose mortal disguise wore an unreadable expression, but his resonance practically radiated a sense of mirth that indicated quite clearly he was telling a lie just to see the reaction of the mortal. The former prisoner glanced towards Imperius and raised a finger to put to his lip, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

The archangel of valor merely shook his head, but maintained his silence on the matter, “Then let us be on our way then.”

Once they had found a place out of sight of prying eyes, it was a simple thing to teleport in the direction indicated to reach the area of the overlook, and from there, with Tevar’s guidance via his phone, they managed to arrive at some squat little bar and grill that had the aroma of oil thick around it but seemed to have a large crowd of people gathered there.  
Imperius had held back a groan realizing he would be sandwiched in with even more people. At the very least upon getting their seat in the restaurant, they were given a booth that was tucked away in the corner. The menu they were given was like trying to translate some ancient text, what with all the weird tongue and cheek names for things. Eventually he just settled on something called a Horadrim Hamburger, if only for the fact he at least knew what the Horadrim were. 

Tevar was the most animated one at the table, ordering an array of what he called appetizers and of course various drinks for everyone save Aladria who ordered her own with a shake of her head.   
“I don’t think a Sweet Fate is a good pick for Itherael.” She grumbled, “It is terrible alcoholic…”

“It is the perfect drink! It has fate in it!”

“But you didn’t order Imperius something with valor in the name…”

Tevar gave a shrug, “He and I got to chug down the big lagers together. No time for matching! We are drinking like brothers tonight.” 

“Be careful not to do anything he doesn’t like or he will revoke that title rather quickly,” Trael drawled, stirring his straw about his cup of water.

Imperius let out a growl, but once more his retort was interrupted by the waitress coming back with a smile and setting down two rather large mugs of ale before him and Teaver, “Enjoy!”

The archangel of valor stared down at the mug and the liquid there in slight confusion before he lifted it up, inspecting it closer, “What is this?”

“Strong alcohol.” Tevar responded, “And the two of us are going to drain it to the bottom. So are you ready to chug?”

“Ready to chug?” Imperius echoed, unsure of the liquid in the mug, stirring a finger slightly in the foam at the top. 

“Yes! We must seal our brotherhood, our bromance, in a long chug of booze. First one done gets bragging rights!” Tevar declared. 

“Both of you are going to die of burst livers,” Aladria drawled. 

Itherael gave a small shrug, glancing up as the waitress returned with the mixed drinks for the rest of the table, “Well, given Imperius does not have organs as you know them, I think he will be relatively okay.”

“Relatively?” Aladria asked, cocking an eyebrow.

The archangel of fate gave a shrug, fiddling with the umbrella that came in his own drink, “Oh last time he got drunk he fell off the side of Heaven and forgot to fly and ended up head first in the maws of a plant of the carnivera species….if I recall correctly. Auriel was there trying to get him out while all he did was laugh and challenge the plant to a duel of honor.”

“You are remembering it wrong,” Imperius huffed, looking at the archangel, “You were drunkier than I, Itherael.” 

“Well, he doesn’t have to drink the whole thing,” Tevar said with a shrug, smirking some, “Big babies about booze can take kiddy sips if they want.” 

Imperius stared at Tevar, grip tightening around his mug, “I did not say I wasn’t drinking the whole thing!”

“Oh, because it sounded like you were making excuses to chicken out,” Tevar teased, hefting his mug up, “First one done gets bragging rights.”

Aladria sighed, covering her face in her hand while Itherael merely chuckled, bringing his own drink up to sip it lightly. The archangel of fate paused for a moment, perking up before they began to take larger sips of the drink.

Imperius huffed, before raising his mug up to clink it to Tevar, “I will see you under the table then.”

Tevar smirked, giving a raise of his mug, “on the count of three then. One. Two. Three!”

Without a second thought, Imperius tipped back and began to chug down the amber-colored liquid, nearly choking on the first foul mouthful of the ale, but his pride kept him drinking it until the last drop slid down his throat. His mug hit the table mere seconds before Tevar’s own and he couldn’t help the grimace and slight roll of his resonance as the ale he drank seemed to leave a terrible aftertaste upon his soul. Still, there was a glow of victory within him, knowing he had bested his brother in the little contest they had. 

“Ha! Your mortal ales were nothing to consume!”

“You cheated! Probably stored it somewhere in your armor!” Tevar snapped back.

“I’m wearing robes, not armor,” Imperius retorted, “And I absorbed it all and feel no different! You ales are weak and foul-tasting!”

“Well, no one drinks alcohol for the taste Imperius. You drink it for the buzz!” 

Aladria rolled her eye, sipping her drink daintly, “Tevar just drinks cheap drinks for quantity over quality.”

“Mmm, speaking of quality,” Itherael murmured, holding up his now empty glass, “I do enjoy this fruity drink. I think I’ll have another.”

Inarius chuckled, smirking behind his own glass, “Oh my, looks like our dear archivist enjoys his spirits…”  
“Given the company we are keeping, I think we all need a lot of spirits,” Aladria drawled. 

Her remarks earned a chuckle from Tyrael as he lifted his drink, “That, I will drink to.”

Tevar leaned forward, tapping two fingers on the table, “Ready for round two Imperius? Shall we keep going until one of us is under the table?”

“Tevar please. I do not want to see you die,” Imperius retorted, voice amused, “Nor do I want to carry you through the city passed out.”

“Oh, it is on my brother! Hey! Two more of the large lagers here!”

Inarius shook his head, setting his half-finished drink down, glancing to Tyrael, “Those two remind me of how you and Imperius use to carry on.”

Tyrael scowled, eyes narrowing as he looked into his own drink, a storm brewing in his gaze, “Yeah. It does.” He growled before knocking about his own drink. There was a stronger edge of resentment oozing off Tyrael’s resonance now, although Imperius ignored it, perhaps feeling a sense of vicious glee at it that had the corruption in him rolling, giddy as a child. 

Tyarel though, for his part, was rather withdraw the rest of the evening at the resturaunt. Or if he said anything, Imperius was having a hard time now recalling that given the amount of acohol Tevar had them both consuming one after another. It took longer for the mortal ales to start having any sort of effect and Aladria had put her foot down on everyone to cut them off after Itherael had gotten through his fourth drink and was starting to lose concentration enough that he had let slip a wing from the illusion for a very brief second. 

Imperius could recall her, Inarius, and Tyrael herding them out the door, Itherael giggling and snorting the whole time and murmuring about how pretty everything was and asking a dozen or so questions about everything on the wall of the restaurant. The chill of Caldeum’s night air at least helped to bring a bit of clarity back to Imperius as the group began to make the final trek of the day up to the overlook and to a more reclusive spot for the last activity of the evening. 

Tevar was staggering a bit, although his brow was furrowed in concentration as he put one foot in front of the other with the practiced skill of someone who was often drunk and trying to act like they weren’t. Imperius simply felt amused by it all, more relaxed and perhaps a bit loud and bombastic when he talked avidly about battles of the past the entire way up.

Stories that were wildly inaccurate given the slight buzz to his resonance now.

“I slew over a hundred demons with one blow and then…then Diablo. Damned cretin Diablo, comes, comes slinking out and I-“

“You punched him!” Tevar slurred. 

“I punched him yes!” 

Inarius sighed, “You didn’t punch him Imperius, you slew him.”

“Slew him, with a punch! My brother knows!” Imperius huffed, “Isn’t that right, Tyrael…Tevar….” 

Tyrael tensed at the slip, scowling more and stalking on ahead. Aladria sent a concerned look towards the archangel of justice as she kept an arm about Ithreael to help keep him steady as they made their way up, “Sounds like…quite the battle Imperius.”  
“Oh there are better ones than that!” Itherael said loudly, waving a hand, “The Battle of ah….I can’t recall. The one where Auriel went….all whoosh with her …scarf….? Cords?”

“Sweatshirt cords?” Tevar supplied unhelpfully.

“She hit the demons with them and they all went flying and then Malthael he’s just…” Itherael gave another vague wave of his hand, “It was interesting. Pardon though, I am sorry I’m not recalling it all so well.” 

Aladria sighed, smiling gently up at him, “Its fine. I think you drank too much is all.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. You aren’t upset with me, are you?” He mumbled, looking away. 

“No. I still like you Itherael.”

That caused the archangel to brighten up a bit, nodding as they tried to walk more pressed to her side, “Good, because I am so very fond of you, you know? You are just so… the passion you have for things!”   
She flushed some, ducking her head, although her expression turned to a scowl when she heard Tevar snicker and make kissing sounds, “Tevar, stop or I’m pushing you off the overlook.”

“It’s fine. I’ll die as I lived. Being the coolest person hear,” Tevar proclaimed scurrying up the last few feet to the top of the overlook,” Isn’t that right Imperius?”

Imperius lolled his head to one side as he staggered up beside him, letting the robes he wore start to change once more to his familiar armor, his halo reappearing in a flash of heat, “…you are pretty cool to the touch…I just thought mortals were cold.” 

“I’m cold as ice Imperius.” Tevar slurred, flopping down into the grass, “So ready for the boom tonight!” 

Aladria sighed, shaking her head as she gently tugged Itherael along after her. The archangel of fate was looking about, wings lifting up as his own disguise slipped off “Oh! The view is quite lovely from up here…very windy!” 

Aladria shook her head, moving to tug him down beside her on the grass, “Yes yes, but falling off the edge of the cliff would not make it very pleasant, now would it?”

“I can fly,” Itherael retorted with a huff.

“Yes, but you wouldn’t be flying straight,” Inarius drawled, “We don’t want you crashing through someone’s ceiling.”

“No, you come in through the window!” Tevar slurred, “That’s what Imperius did!”

Imperius snorted, flopping back onto the grass, giving a dismissive wave of his hand, “Not like you live there anymore. All your things are now in Heaven.”

“Hey, I still own it! Could make it a summer home!” 

Itherael slumped back resting his weight on his hand, wings stretching out for a moment, although the tendrils of one of them lazily draped over Aladria’s shoulder, “I am curious as to why we are out here when so dark….”

Inarius chuckled, letting his own disguise slip away, seating himself beside Imperius and Tevar, “Oh? Don’t you know? Mortals bring those they like to such places to sneak kisses! Or to do more explicit activities.”

The archivist jumped, wings spreading out, “We are going to kiss?”

“If any one of you dares to kiss me, I will show you no mercy.” Imperius warned, as he flopped onto his back, “I will end you.” 

Despite the threat, Imperius let out a sigh, feeling comfortable in his own form once more, stretching out and letting his wings flare out, nearly knocking over poor Tevar as he made a fumbling attempt to kneel down and try and plant a kiss on the archangel. The mortal man grunted as he fell back on his rear, glowering some with a huff. 

“Fine, you don’t deserve my kisses!”

“I don’t need your stupid kisses brother! Give them to your husband!”

“I don’t have one.” Tevar paused, grinning wide and giving a wiggle of his eyebrows, “Yet.” 

Aladria shook her head shooting Tevar a look, “You really shouldn’t have drank so much. You are being less funny than usual.”

“Your mom shouldn’t have drank so much!” Tevar objected.

Tyrael sighed, shaking his head, “He reminds me far too much of Lyndon.”

“Your mom is named Lyndon!”

Imperious rolled lazily onto his side, reaching over to prod Tevar hard, “Your retorts are terrible, brother.”

“Your retorts are terrible!” 

Itherael let out another snort of laughter, ducking his head and trying to hide it with little luck. Aladria shared a look with Tyrael before shaking her head, “We were supposed to come up here to watch fireworks and have a nice time, but half of you are all sorts of goofy drunk right now…” 

“I’m coherent. I want to see the fireworks and the kissing.” Itherael murmured.

“Aw, does the archivist want kisses?” Inarius teased. “Need little kisses to ease your soul?” 

The archangel of fate ducked his head bashfully, “I might. I heard they make you feel better.”

“That is so depressing Itherael. Rather pathetic really,” Inarius drawled. “Needing kisses because you feel bad. Shall we fetch you more alcohol to drown your sad song in?” 

Aladria shot the former prisoner a look before leaning up to sneaky a quick kiss to the side of Itherael’s cowl, blushing all the while. The archangel of fate jumped, wings starting to flutter fast enough they were a rapid blur of color, sparks flying off them as he ducked his head. Even his armor seemed to change color slightly from his embarrassment. After a moment though, he leaned in shyly to return to gesture with a press of his where a face should be to the top of her head, causing ALadria to go even redder. 

Tevar snickered, elbowing Imperius, “Adorkable….” He whispered. 

“Yes, adorkable indeed,” He murmured in agreement, although he wasn’t sure what that meant or what exactly he was agreeing to. 

Inarius had fallen silent, huffing some as he looked away. Aladria’s move at least seemed to have silenced his outburst for now. The mortal scholar was staring hard at the ground, still red in the face, but nevertheless snuck a hand over to hold onto Itherael’s own. A gesture that was returned as the archangel of fate leaned in a bit to rest their shoulders together. 

Tyrael’s expression softened a bit at the sight, giving a shake of his head as he let his own disguise finally slip off, his wings flicking out behind him. A comment though was on Tevar’s lips, although it was lost in a sudden boom across the land and a spark of light that streaked upwards, releasing a louder boom and a sudden burst of colors across the sky. Imperius jumped, flailing as he made to call for Solarion, instead half tripping over Tevar and nearly falling on the mortal as they both hit the ground. Even Inarius and Tyrael had given a start at the display. Itherael merely gasped, wings held out wide before relaxing, with a soft sound of awe, especially when more of the colorful explosions rocketed up into the sky, lighting up the night. 

Tyrael merely chuckled, watching the display with a shake of his head, “It has been a long time since I’ve seen fireworks. These ones though are far larger and grander than the small ones used in Westmarch.”

“It’s beautiful….” Itherael murmured, jumping as a series of fireworks went up, all but lighting up the night in an array of rainbow colors, each resounding booms like the sound of distant siege weapons.

It was a comment that Imperius agreed with, wings flaring with each new firework that rocketed upwards, lapsing into a stunned silence. 

Imperius watched the whole display, but he couldn’t help but take note of how quite everyone was now, watching the display with an almost reverence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. The colorful display was impressive, as if the stars have been lit on fire and set ablaze into the sky. Patterns appeared here and there among the madness of colors and high pitched wails of screaming lights. Every boom of it seemed to radiate within Imperius’s core and his wings were subconsciously flaring up brighter for a few moments at every loud bang. 

There was a sense of giddy wonder to the whole affair he hadn’t felt in a long time and a peace between everyone that caused the corruption in his soul to lay quietly and dormant within him for a few moments. 

Everything almost felt all right. 

Tevar was nearly dozing off despite the noise, the alcohol catching up with him as he curled up at Imperius’s side. Inarius was for once, without comment, wings flared at the display as if trying to add his own tattered light to it all. Aladria and Itherael continued to sit together, although Aladria had taken Itherael’s hand in both of hers, quietly stroking a hand over the top as they sat together. One of the wings of the archangel of fate had all but wrapped lightly about her, a sign of extreme affection among angels, although Imperius’s buzzed mind wanted to see it as only an effect of the alcohol and nothing more. 

Tyrael stood, arms crossed loosely as he watched, and unlike the others, there was a sadness to him, as if the sight of such raw power and beauty brought with it memories long gone from his past mortal life. No doubt many a wonderful victory had been celebrated with such festivities in the night, no doubt bringing memories of those who were long gone and better, simpler times for the archangel of justice. 

To Imperius, the silence between all of them was comforting and at ease. There were no troubles to concern themselves with and for a little while, no doubt the feeling would linger. 

The archangel of valor settled himself back, eyes still fixed on the sky ablaze with light, a sight no evil could ever hope to mar, and allowed himself, for a moment to believe all was well and that things would remain that way from now until eternity. 

For now, he let the thunder of the fireworks beat with his own resonance, and enjoy the moment of rare peace that fate, for once had afforded all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took forever to write 8I It is a bridge chapter to another bridge chapter that leads to the next big event chapter. Also it is a spot of fluff and just general no-angst to give my poor precious reader's hearts a moment to recover ; w ;


	17. Shattering Dissonance

Imperius looked over the list that had been handed to him, wings flicking out thoughtfully before his gaze lifted to regard the archangel of fate, “This is a tall order of supplies, Itherael.” 

“I know,” Itherael murmured,“But after taking apart mortal devices and machines, going through blueprints, and consulting with Tyrael over the best way to bring this all together, this is the minimum of what we need to get the necessary mortal technologies into the High Heavens.” 

“I do not have the supplies for this in Heaven.” Imperius responded, carefully looking over the plans again, “I will need a day to make a venture below to gather up the necessary resources from the wild land, maybe two given we have no angels of hope with us to waylay the beasts below. Then another day or two to forge what you have requested.”

“I assumed as much. There isn’t too much of a rush, but if you want, I could accompany you down-“

Imperius raised a hand to stop the scholar, giving a shake of his head, “I will be fine enough. I will ask one of the others to accompany on this venture. Just make sure a space is made for all this once I have the parts crafted.” He sighed, rolling up the scroll containing the plans for the large computer terminal the archangel of fate wanted to build, giving a shake of his head, “Some of these are so small as well. I only hope my magnifier is not broken…”

The archangel of fate gave a small nod, shifting some, “Well, if it is, there are plenty of unused crsytals you may use to augment it.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Itherael gave another nod, shifting from foot to foot again, “Tyrael and I are working together on the format. He has always had an eye for engineering, but if you do need him on this venture-“

The archangel of valor did not wait for Itherael to finish his thought, already vanishing from sight the moment the name of the archangel of justice came up. He had no idea why Itherael still was trying to insist they work together when Imperius thought he had made it clear he would rather stick his head into the maw of Diablo than have to work for any length of time with the other angel. 

Imperius appeared suddenly within the area of the mortal quarters that had been designated the living room. His sudden appearance caused Tevar to jump and nearly fall off the cheap couch he was lounging on. The mortal caught himself on the back of it, huffing as he moved to situate himself again, eyeing Imperius “Impeirus! Geeze, you need like an alert system to tell me when you are popping in. Also, can you move a little to the right? You are making a better door than window right now.”

“My apologies.” Imperius gave a bow of his head, gaze flicking to the screen where some mortal TV show was playing before stepping aside, “I do not mean to interrupt your binging of mortal shows, but we have business to attend to today.”

“Buisness? What kind of business?” Tevar asked as he dug through the cushions of the couch for the remote, “Is it something on how to get internet or like, cable TV up here? I can only rewatch the same DvDs over and over again.”

Imperius crossed his arms, wings flaring slightly, “We are going to retrieve materials needed to craft parts for whatever it is Itherael is planning to create. I suppose it has something to do with this internet of yours.” 

The mortal nodded as he switched off the TV, “So where we getting these supplies? We stopping off at some computer place or something and you need to borrow my credit card?” 

The archangel of valor snorted as he turned away with a shake of his head, “No. We will be going to the wildlands.” He paused in the doorway to glance back at Tevar, “You will need your armor and weapons as well. This will be a slightly dangerous venture we will be undertaking.” 

“Wildlands?”

He could hear the curious note in the mortal’s voice causing him to pause for a moment, tilting his head, “Yes. Did you think Heaven encompassed only this city?”

“I mean, it is a huge city,” Tevar grumbled, “I didn’t know you had stuff beyond it.”

“The wildlands are an infant space beyond our boarders, so it is said. It is where the metal and supplies to build all you see have come from,” Imperius explained, giving a wave of his hand, “It is below the clouds. We will have to go to the grand quarry to get the supplies.” 

“So we are going to the middle of nowhere Heaven to dig up some rocks that will help us make a super computer,” Tevar gave a shrug as he rose to his feet, “All right. I’m game. Let’s go dig up some shit up.”

“Hopefully it will be as simple as just needing to dig things up…” Imperius murmured, turning away, “Be ready as soon as possible brother. I will meet you at the entrance to the halls.” 

“Understood. See you in a few shakes of a leg,” Tevar said, quickly rushing off to retrieve his armor and weapons. 

Imperius watched him go with a chuckle, although the mirth was short lived as his thoughts turned to the task at hand. Heaven was not without its more dangerous realms. The city that the angels had built about the crystal arch, high above the clouds was safe. Few outside of Heaven though knew of the lands that lay below. They were a little explored place, wild and unkempt, but were untouched, virginal in their beauty that hid untold dangers that were to even some angels, little more than rumors. Auriel had been one of the first to start exploring those lands and guiding her host in understand the plants and animals there and had been the host to guide other angels down to navigate the wildlands and pacify the more vicious creatures below. 

If fate and luck was being kind, then Imperius hoped their foray below for supplies would pass without incident.   
Tevar did not take long to arrive, fully armored and with his crossbow resting against his shoulder and his rifle strapped across his back. The mortal was wearing his usual lazy smile as he gave Imperius a thumbs up, “Ready to go, bro. Let’s teleport away.”

“I cannot teleport to where we are going. The energy in the wildlands interferes with the precision of my jump and it is easy to get lost unless you are near the beacons.” Imperius said, stepping forward to wrap an arm about Tevar, “We will be flying there.” 

Tevar let out a groan, shoulders slumping, “Can’t we use some sort of teleporter that might be set up there?”

“It won’t work unless both sides are powered. I have powered the side on Heaven, but we still need ot manual turn it on from the other side. We won’t have to fly back at least,” Imperius said, “I will make sure to keep the flight smooth. I am aware of your weak mortal stomach.” 

“We will see but do not judge me if I’m throwing up all over the majesty of Heaven’s natural beauty,” Tevar grumbled, holding on tight to Imperius’s side. “Let’s get this over with.” 

Imperius stepped to the ledge of the hall, wings flaring out for a moment, stretching before he tipped forward, pulling into a tight dive. He descended downwards towards the older buildings in Heaven clustered along the earth that protruded up from a seething mass of clouds. Here the structures were older, more worn and with few decorations. Imperius pulled up just before he hit the clouds, costing just above as he moved towards a strange structure that seemed to almost float on top the clouds. It appeared like a gate of sorts, the edges lit up and letting out a soft guiding hum. 

It was the first beacon set by Auriel and her host and marked the “entryway” set up for those taking the plunge below. Imperius hovered for a moment above the gate and adjusted his grip on Tevar. 

“Ready?”

“Do I have a choice?” Tevar grumbled, tugging his cloak about him a bit more, “Guessing it is going to get a little moist.”

“A little.”

“That’s what she said.” 

Imperius glanced at Tevar, “What? Who said?”

TEvar sighed, “Nevermind, let’s just plunge in the moist hole Imperius.”

The archangel of valor side-eyed Tevar, feeling as if he was missing a joke or something but brushed it off with a sigh, tilting his wings back before diging down through the gate. The thick clouds closed in about, covering both with a mist of moisture. Imperius couldn’t see and had to reach out, using his senses to guide himself from beacon to beacon. Lighting flashed here and there with rumbles of thunder as the eternal cloud cover was more a constantly churning storm waiting to break upon the lands below. Tevar was clutching Imperius, eyes closed tight as the archangel continued his downward spiral through the clouds with only the hum of the beacons to lead the way. 

The clouds soon gave way, but the moisture and chill clung to both as the wildlands came into view beneath them. Tevar opened one eye, quickly followed by both. The mortal gawked openly, rendered momentarily speechless as he took in the sprawling mass of life that extended out beneath them. 

“Is this….the wildlands?”

Imperius nodded as coasted lower, passing by a floating hunk of rock overgrown with thick mosses and vines, “Yes. The land of our ancestors, the grave of Anu. The wildlands of Heaven.”

The landscape that spread out below in the dreary misty gloom of the constant overcast sky did not look like Heaven above. From above, only weak rays of sunlight trickled down, mixing with the flashes of lightning in the churning sky. Below, most of the light radiated from the glowing leaves of the various plants that danced in the constant wind that lashed over the forests. Most of the wildlands was comprised of huge floating hunks of rock, held loosely together by the roots of massive trees that descended downwards into the mist to the unseen ground below. Jagged spires rose up here and there, all of it overcome with foliage, a testament to the wild nature that ruled these parts of Heaven. 

Tevar blew out a whistle, already taking out his phone to snap pictures, “Now this, this is fucking impressive! Your ancestors lived here?”

“Long ago.” Imperius said, skirting around a thundering waterfall that fell into a wild, white crested river that careened downwards through the craigs, “The ruins of that time can be found here for those of an adventurous soul.”

The mortal nodded, looking up in awe as they passed by one of the massive trees that hat roots tangled over several hunks of rock that would dwarf even the largest of mortal cities, “Those are some huge fucking trees….”

“The trees of paradise began to grow the moment Anu fell, sprouting from his blood, according to legend,” Imperius murmured as they passed near the ground of one of the enormous trees, “The fruit they bare is made of pure energy and it is said consuming too much can cause the mind to open up too much to the universe. The sages of wisdom used to sip a bit of the juice of paradise to sharpen the mind.”

“Sounds like they were just trying to get one hell of a high,” Tevar murmured, watching a pair of whispy, fox-like creatures leap about the branches, their many tails fanned out behind them, “This is beautiful though. Just wait until I show Aladria the pictures of this place!” 

“It is beautiful, but in that beauty, it hides the danger that dwells here,” Imperius said, diving a bit to avoid a flock of creatures with angelic wings, but had no form other than a glowing, eyeball looking mass, each one small enough to fit cupped in the hand, “Most of it is unexplored. Really only the locations near the roots of the Crystal arch and the quarry have been mapped any at all.”

“Guessing we are still following those beacons then, to avoid getting lost and having to live like a couple of wild mountain men,” Tevar murmured. 

Imperius allowed himself a chuckle, nodding as he passed another beacon that gleamed barely through the thick moss that had grown over it, “Indeed. The beacons were placed by the host of hope as they explored these lands.” 

“I’m guessing the angels of hope are the adventurous ones…?”

“More the ones who are most attached to the natural world,” Imperius corrected, “Auriel herself used to wander these lands looking for new creatures and plants to note, sometimes leaving for days to become lost in its splendor. She never got lost though. She tamed the creatures of these lands and they often guided her to treasures and then back home. It was a gift she taught to her more rugged followers.”

“I see…” Tevar pursed his lips, eyeing Imperius, “So far this place doesn’t seem too bad. All pretty and nature with the angels of hope once frolicking with woodland friends. I feel there is a bit but to all that though, like there is something you aren’t telling me.” 

“If all goes well, you can leave with your better impression of this place and you won’t know of the more vicious monstrosities it hides,” Imperius responded grimly. 

Imperius was hiding well his relief that the beacons to the quarry still lit the way, even if many were nearly lost to the overgrowth of plant-life. Their quiet hums remained, helping the archangel to navigate the path, slowly making his way downwards to the ground far below. Out of the haze, huge spires of rock began to emerge, looking like ancient ribs reaching up from the foliage. Huge monoliths stood here, ancient carvings of the primordial angels, although age and weather had worn down the features completely, leaving only faceless, smooth lumps that were vaguely humanoid. Here and there in the grooves of the cliffs starting to rise about them, unnatural caves and carvings could be seen, the remnants of nests once used in the past before the glory of the arch was properly understood. The cliffs though suddenly gave way as did the foliage below to a sudden gash upon the land, far more recently made.   
The first signs of civilization could be seen now as huge equipment surrounded the pit. At the center a huge device squatted over a hole in the earth, the jagged point of it pointed downwards into the earth.   
Yet despite how recent the large mining equipment was, it was clear it had been a while since it had been used as already the forest was regaining its hold on the land as thick blankets of moss had taken hold on the sides of the metal and spreading web-like veins seemed intent on dragging it all down back into the wilderness around the pit.

“Place looks like it has seen better days,” Tevar said as he glanced up at Imperius, “That going to be a problem for us?”

The archangel of valor slowed his descend, holding onto the mortal as he landed heavily upon the causeway near the centeral device. The metal trembled beneath him, but held, a bit of power flickering in reaction to his energy. 

“It is only a problem if nothing works,” Imperius murmured, stepping away from the mortal and heading towards the central control hub, “At the very least, there is some power still lingering here.”

 

Tevar nodded as he moved to the edge of the causeway, peering down at the pit below. He let out a low whistle as he shook his head, “That shaft goes down a long way.”

“It has been mined for millennium to provide the metal above for Heaven. The land here is blessed with Anu’s energy. Although not as strong as the arch, the metal here is already blessed and more augmented to accept magic,” Imperius murmured, pulling vines off the console and starting to trace a finger over the runes to activate them, “We have to activate the drill, activate the transporter, and get everything powered. Once everything is running though, we will have to defend the drill until we have what we need.” 

“I feel we should have brought more people on this venture…” Tevar murmured, “That’s a lot of steps and this thing has a lot of moving parts by the look of it.” 

“We don’t need the others,” Imperius grumbled, waving a hand.

“You sure it is not because you and I both know Inarius wouldn’t do shit to help anyways and call it managing and you just straight up hate Tyrael?” Tevar drawled.

Imperius huffed, wings flaring in indignation as he turned away from the now activated runes on the control panel, moving to clear off more panels to power up, “I would rather get devoured by the local wildlife than ask Tyrael.” He snapped, “He is not worth my time to even share words with.”

“And see, I think that is your problem bro. You two really need to sit down, talk your shit up before someone is going to get hurt and you both are going to be feeling worse. Especially with your condition,” Tevar warned, “ You can’t let this stuff fester.”

“I’m not letting anything fester! I just don’t want anything to do with him. Once heaven is restored, he most likely will just abandon us all again. That is what he is good at,” IMperius snarled, punching down on another rune.

The structure shuddered a bit as more power surged through it and across the way, a series of rings began to lift and spin, slowly starting to form a shimmering portal back to Heaven. Tevar stepped back from the railing as the causeway began to shake some, moving over closer to Imperius. 

“I feel you are dealing with some … issues about abandonment with him…” 

“I have no such issues! I don’t need him!” Imperius snapped, “He made it clear thousands of years ago how he feels about our brotherhood.”

Tevar sighed, rubbing his temples, “Imperius-“

“We are wasting our time with details that don’t need to be bothered with!” Imperius snapped, waving a dismissive hand, “We came here for a reason.”

“Okay okay. Work first, then we counsel your abandonment issues with people,” Tevar drawled, peering over Imperius’s arm at the control console, “So how do we go about digging up some shit.” 

“You will keep an eye on the drill. Once it is activated, you will need to make sure it is stable. You’ll have to move to the modules around and adjust them as needed. Simple really. Just press this rune here on each panel to pull the drill that way. It tends to ah, get skewed as it works.”

“Simple enough sure but I’m going to be getting my cardio today running between them.” Tevar grumbled eyeing the causeways, “If these little metal bridges don’t break and send me falling to my death.”

“You will not fall. You didn’t fall anytime before.” Imperius snapped.

“Yeah, first and last time for everything Imperius. Don’t jinx me now,” Tevar retorted, crossing his arms, “So while I’m doing that, what will you be up to?”

“I’ll be making sure nothing kills you.”

Tevar arched an eyebrow, “….why is something going to kill us?”

Imperius let out a frustrated sigh pressing a few more runes, powering up more systems on the drill, “I told you, we have no angels of hope. Only those of Auriel’s flock were able to sooth the wildlife’s agitation when we were drilling.” 

“Did she sing to the animals or something?”

The archangel of valor snorted, “Hardly. She fought the wildlife on their terms, forcing them into submission by wrangling them to her will with the cords of hope. They knew better than to challenge her. With a look, they would turn away from the digsite and creep back to their dens.”

“Okay. I don’t know who Auriel is, but she sounds like a fucking badass.”

“She was a warrior in her own right. I do not understand why mortals seem to fixate on her more gentle nature. They clearly did not understand she simply had an unending well of patience for most things,” Imperius grumbled with a shake of his head. 

Tevar chuckled, “Mortals sometimes like to only see what they think is right about things they know nothing about.”

“Indeed, but that is not the problem at hand,” Imperius beckoned Tevar over, gesturing to the array of runes, “These will activate with a touch. You will press this one here to start it and once it glows bright blue, hit the one beside it that will begin the extraction of what has been dislodged in the earth. Then all you need to is press the center rune to start up the process of transportation back to Heaven.”

“Easy enough…” Tevar said, rubbing his hands together, “just pushing buttons.”

“Just make sure to press these runes to vent the right heat sinks, they start to glow red when getting closer to overload, and you might have to move to the other panels about the rim here to do minor adjustments….” Imperius murmured, “All while most likely having to kill any of the smaller beasts that arrive and slip by me. “

“Okay, not so easy,” Tevar grumbled, “I thought you said you were going to keep me safe.”

“I am. There are larger creatures I will be concerned with. The smaller ones I trust you to be able to handle. They are not as mighty as some demons you have slain.” Imperius said with a shrug.

“Bigger creatures. What big beasties exactly?” Tevar huffed.

Imperius summoned Solarion to his hand, gripping onto the weapon. He uttered only two words in response to Tevar’s question, already looking to the forest as if he could see the creature he now spoke off.

“The cherubim.” 

Tevar blinked, “…fat babies?”

Imperius looked at the mortal before giving a slow shake of his head, “…I don’t even want to know how mortals confused the monstrous beasts that are cherubim with their fat offspring... just push the rune. It should work.”

“Should being the key word, I suppose.” Tevar grumbled before touching the rune indicated. 

The rune flashed and at first, there was no movement other than a few shudders. Imperius was tense, wings flared. For a moment, he thought it wouldn’t start up and they would be spending days by hand trying to mine out and move rocks up the side of the massive pit but then it gave another shudder, metal groaning as it began to shift. The vines and mosses began to rip away from the rest of the device, showering debris down below as the many moving parts of the drill began to move. At its core, a fire began to flare up, growing hotter as the drill’s focusing lenses started to shift and position themselves to channel that heat downwards into the earth. 

Tevar let out a sigh, looking over at Imperius “Well…step one, getting it on seems to be a go. I was worried there for a second.”

“As was I brother, but now, we will have bigger things to worry about,” Imperius turned away, gaze fixed on the tree line about the mine shaft, “All this noise will attract attention now. Keep your weapon on hand. There will be company soon, of that I have little doubt.”   
Tevar nodded, swallowing hard, “Hey, maybe we will get lucky and nothing is around?”

Imperius shook his head, already hearing the murmurs of wildlife and the many flocks of bird-like creatures taking off to vacate the area due to the horrendous screech of metal, “I highly doubt that.” 

The drill was starting to heat up by then, groaning as the parts began to move faster, hissing as the joints loosened. The crystals at the tip began to align fully as the heat of the core, barely contained, started to flicker out pass its holdings. The rune was starting to glow brighter and brighter and as ordered, Tevar pressed the next one in the series. The mortal jumped back, cursing as the core erupted in fire, the light of it causing Tevar to turn away. Energy shuddered downwards through the crystal and focused into a high-powered laser that began to eat away at the rock, cutting huge chunks off the side of the pit. 

Within the pit, more mechanical parts shuddered and rings began to rise and fall, bring the loosened rocks up to the surface to pour onto a moving belt that churned the ore up towards the large portal, dumping it through. All of the moving parts was creating a hellish, dissonance din, although that was soon drowned out by an even louder roar that echoed from the treeline.

Tevar jumped at the sound, looking wildly over his shoulder, “…that did not sound fucking good.”

“It isn’t,” Imperius growled, “Keep to your task. I’ll handle this.”

“Handle what-“

The question had barely left Tevar’s mouth than the source of the roar burst from the foliage, its four pairs of wings flared and another roar echoing from not one, but three mouths, all merged together between metal and strange swats of glowing skin. The beast stood far taller than any angel, all four of its hands tipped in vicious claws and its powerful back legs resembling that of a cat. A long lashing tail trailed out behind it, ending in a set of vicious spines, hitting the ground with enough force to send debris flying up. 

Tevar gawked, face pale, “That is a fucking cherub!?”  
Imperius nodded, wings flaring out in a challenge of his own as he gripped his spear in both hands,“A juvenile one, but yes, that is a cherubim.”

“A juvenile!?”

Imperius did not spare a glance to Tevar or acknowledge his outburst, already surging ahead. The young cherubim charged towards him, yowling and rearing up to slash at the archangel as he ducked, vanishing just before a hit struck and slamming hard into the beast’s midriff, shoulder leading. The wild angelic creature shrieked in anger as it was knocked back, although it skillfully rolled over, using its back legs to send Imperius flying into the air. The archangel easily took the wing, landing on his feet and starting to circle the creature. The cherubim snarled, watching his movements for a moment before it charged forward again swiping at Imperius with the intent to do harm. The archangel of valor deftly deflected the blows, taking pains to use the flat end of his spear. He had no intention of killing the creature as much as driving it off to pursue easier to handle prey, especially a juvenile. 

Yet their battle had already attracted more attention, as if all the wildlands had risen up and become irate at the loud clanging roar of the drill. 

All around, the forest teamed, smaller creatures slinking out of the foliage, attracted by the noise to investigate. Most did not dare to venture closer, but other, more opportunistic predators darted in closer, smelling the flesh of something new in their midst. As Imperius rolled back sending the cherubim flying head over heels into the air, he heard a burst of fire from behind him. A small glance back showed Tevar running to another panel to adjust the sudden wobble of the drill while fending off a pact of almost serpentine-like mammals with glowing bodies and heads that split open to reveal rows of teeth and tendrils. The man was cursing loudly, firing off another volley to knock a few off the causeway and almost losing his own footing as he scurried up to another panel, quickly punching the rune a few times as if that would make the drill re-align faster. 

Imperius couldn’t spare much more than that glance as he was forced to duck once more as the cherubim swiped at him. He was forced back, bringing up Solarion to block a vicious bite from the beast’s central maw. Fire erupted along the spear and the creature yowled, retreating back and pawing at its mouth with a pitiful whine. Impeirus flared his wings and charged it again, this time the cherubim juvenile backed off, hissing and losing its fight, turning to rush back into the safety of the forest. 

Imperius huffed some, grateful for it being a juvenile. An adult would have been far more difficult to tangle with, let alone chase off. Quickly the archangel of valor whirled about, teleporting over to where Tevar had all but crawled up on a panel, using the butt of his rifle to slam into the face of one of the creatures that had given chase. 

Imperius wasted no time in knocking the creature away, letting out a cry of battle as he flared up, causing the other smaller creatures to squeal and rush off, not about to tangle with a far mightier foe. He slammed the butt of Solarion down, sending a small shockwave out for good measure before he turned towards Tevar. 

“Are you all right?” 

“Oh yes. Just fine being chased around by elrdic horror dogs and trying not to let this drill implode. How the fuck do you think I am feeling!?” Tevar snapped. “Why the fuck are they attacking us!?”

“The sound of the drill attracts them here. To them, it may mean easy prey,” Imperius responded letting out a blasé of energy that sent many of the smaller ones running off, “In the case of the cherubim, they simply do not like the noise and want to rip us apart for disturbing them.” 

“And that was fucking juvenile! They get bigger!?” Tevar exclaimed, “And you said Auriel wrestled shit like that into fucking submission!?”

“Yes. Why is that such a terrible shock?” Imperius snapped. 

Tevar shook his head in disbelief, turning to the panel to fiddle with it, clearing a heat sink, “How!?”

“She used the cord of hope, Al’maiesh, to wrangle the most powerful of the cherubim, known as the cherubim queen, into submission and forced it to accept her peace with us.” 

Tevar shook his head in disbelief, “This is unbelievable…” 

“Is it truly? They are nearly sentient. Not quiet, but smarter than the average beast and as I said, Auriel was a trained warrior of Heaven who stood equal with the rest of the council in terms of prowess,” Imperius retorted, “I do not see why this is a shock.” 

“But these cherubim sort of look angelic,” Tevar murmured, “Where do they come from?”

“It is…not entirely known. Some believe other parts of Anu broke away into the wilds and feed the energy of the place, but none have been able to explore far enough in to confirm that. The wilds are…expansive. The heaven above that mortals know and where angels inhabit is but a small, finite part of a much larger expanse of eternity…”   
Tevar sighed, rubbing his face some, “Great. Nice. Just wish this wild eternity wasn’t so eager to eat my ass in the not fun way.”

Imperius stared at the mortal, wondering what on earth would be a “fun way” of having someone eat his ass before shaking his head and deciding he really didn’t want to know. “We are almost done. Can you still tend to your task?”

Tevar frowned as he slid down from the panel, wincing a bit as he put weight on one of his legs, “Think one of those little brats nipped me…”

“When we return, I’ll make sure you are attended to.” Imperius said, moving to look over their progress. “We are making good time.” 

There were more than a few huge chunks of ore being deposited through the mortal that would deliver the raw resourcds to the mason’s quarter of Heaven. The sight of the massive chunks of rock reminded Imperius that this was only one day of far more work to follow as the ore would need to be melted down and purified and properly blessed before it could be used for any construction. 

It was going to be a long, tedious process to say the least. 

“So, this was an adventure….” Tevar grumbled, “I think I saw my life flashed before my eyes when I saw that cherubim. At fucking least it was just-“

Another roar pierced the air and Tevar let out a groan, “Fucking jinxed it! Did it decided to come back for another round?”

“No…that one was louder, deeper.” Imperius cursed, wings flaring, “Something bigger.”   
“Bigger!?”   
“I think the juvenile might have riled up its mother.” 

“That’s fucking great!” Tevar snapped, “What’s the plan to deal with this one?”   
The archangel of valor looked back at the work so far completed. It was close to being finished, just a few more moments would be needed. He would just need to keep the creature occupied for a few more moments. He leapt up to balance on the railing of the causeway, wings flaring up as he held on with one hand, Solarion held tightly in the other.   
“Keep the drill going for a minute more, Tevar, then, turn pull the power rune there at the center! That should depower it. Once that is done, get through the portal and back to Heaven!” 

“Is that even fucking safe!?”

“It should be! Just don’t get crushed by any rocks!”

“What the fuck does that mean!?”

Tevar got no response as Imperius took off, making a beeline for the much larger cherubim that had emerged from the foliage, the entire ground quaking under its every massive footfall. This one had more pronounced faces, two on the side and one up front with wide, glowing eyes and hundreds of glowing fangs that extended forward as its mouth opened wide. The wings were larger and more impressive and of course, it was far more cautious as Imperius came towards it. The cherubim did not charge forward, instead crouching down, tail lashing out before moving aside, turning quickly to lash out at the archangel with a powerful roar. 

Imperius dove forward, nearly on all fours himself as he felt the wind from the creature’s swipe mere inches over his back, his wings flaring and twisting out of the way as he leapt forward into the air to put some distance between himself and the beast. The cherubim gave chase, its wings spreading as it followed the blazing comment of valor high over the groaning drill.   
The archangel of valor twisted and teleported, barely keeping ahead of the snapping jaws of the creature as he let it on a chase about the mining area. He ducked down, low, letting it sweep out over him before slamming his spear against the side of it and sending it flying. The cherubim flipped over in midair and landed heavily against one of the floating chunks of land, snarling before launching itself back at Imperius. 

The archangel of valor ducked to the side instinctively, turning around and feeling a surge of alarm as he realized what his dodge had allowed to happen. The cherubim had too much momentum to turn around quickly in the air and with a enraged yowl, it crashed into the drill, scrambling and screaming as it tried to gain its footing, fire erupting from the core to lash over it as the drill was thrown off balance. Metal screeched as the structure buckled under the weight of the cherubim, tugging off the sides of the pit. Imperius dove in, feeling his resonance leap up as the causeways began to twist and break and places as the weight of the creature bore the whole drill down into the pit in a shower of fire.  
He did not care for the yowling struggling creature as it fell down into the pit, weighed down by the collapsing drill. His concern was on the mortal scurrying up the side of a causeway that was nearly vertical now and barely hanging onto the lip of the mine shaft. Tevar was in a near panic by how frantic his actions were, scaling up it with a strength and dexterity that only adrenaline and the fear of death could muster in a mortal. Even then though, there were few handholds and even his slight weight was causing the metal to groan and shift closer to the ledge. Imperius dove, ducking and weaving between the collapsing metal bars and wrapped an arm about the man, surging upwards as he tucked and rolled, wings leaving blazing trails of fire against metal as he emerged to open air before rushing forward towards the portal, huge chunks of broken metal collapsing around them. Imperius twisted as a beam landed in front of them, mere inches from the portal and all but did a mid-air roll into the portal, feeling a shoulder scrap against another falling piece of debris.

The roar of crashing metal against the ground followed them through the portal. Imperius hit the ground hard, misjudging where he would come out. Amor sparked as he slid along his side before managing to get up to his feet, half running with Tevar in his arm. The entire time, the mortal was letting out a scream as he wrapped himself around the archangel, clinging to him as if Imperius was life itself. Imperius barely slowed down as he came to the panel on this side, smashing at the rune to shut the portal, but not before more metal from the collapsing structure came crashing through, forcing him to all but dive forward, letting go of Tevar to brace against a wall, wings flaring as he used himself as a shield to keep the mortal safe as the metal crashed down around them. Tevar dropped down, curling up as small as he could, both hands over his head as parts of the broken drill crashed about them. Imperius winced as a few pieces slammed into his back, but he held firm until the last few clunks of metal hit the ground.

The entire room was silent save for Tevar’s wheezing breaths for a few moments, the mortal slowly shaking his head as he sat up, “You know…we need to do things together that aren’t that exciting anymore,” He finally managed out, “I’m pretty sure my heart is about to burst in my fucking chest.”

“We are alive and got what we needed.” Imperius grunted, wincing as he moved to straighten up although he remained bent over some, back throbbing. 

“Yeah but, like, next time we need to do that, can we bring help? I mean, I’m still a squishy mortal, “Tevar grumbled. “And right now, you look like you need Heaven’s best chiropractor.” 

Imperius huffed stepping back and straightening his back despite the pain the movement caused, “You may be mortal, but you have nephelem blood in your veins. Who knows who your ancestors were? Perhaps you are a descendant of Penabriar or some nephelem of the past.”

“Well, just fyi, there are no Penabriars in my family!” Tevar snapped with a huff. “My full name is Tevar Covetous Shen-Kingsbury! Shen on my father’s side, Kingsbury on my mother’s. You got jewelers and jewel appreciators as far back as the records go, not royalty!”   
“Whatever is in your blood, you handled yourself well, brother. Your skill in combat are growing by the day.” 

The praise caused Tevar to flush some, unable to hide the little smirk on his lips as he made a valiant attempt to remain angry, “Yeah, I know I’m great. Just next time, make sure you bring someone else to see how great I am while you are getting chewed on by a cherubim.”

Imperius shook his head, chuckling softly before moving over to inspect what they managed to pull through before the portal had winked shut. The ore chunks were large, some of them three times Imperius’s size and still caked in earth and now mixed in with the mangled mess of metal from the drill. Idly the archangel of valor hoped it would be enough to account for the parts Itherael needed built as they would not be getting anymore from the dig sight. 

Wwith the great drill completely destroyed and their lack of manpower to re-build it within a decent amount of time, they were more or less now without access to the quarry’s resources. It would just have to be another thing they would have to work on, if they could restore Heaven. When they restored Heaven.  
The archangel of valor ran his hand over the side of one of the ore chunks, shaking his head some, “You can stay to help me temper the ore if you like, but I will not fault you if you want to rest.”

“If there are no giant beasts or demon things going to come nibble our asses for working the ore, I’m game. Honestly, I did a lot of this sort of thing when I used to work the nephalite mines.” Tevar said with a shrug, “Just let me strip out of this armor and put it away…ah…which way are the halls from here?”

Imperius pointed upwards, “Take the stairwell up to their highest point. You’ll be in the quarters of the mason’s guild. From there, you must traverse the Garden of Hope throughway all the way to the Library. You should know your way from that point on.” 

Tevar gave a slow nod, looking up at the stairwell that snaked its way up and into a bank of clouds and out of sight, “…any chance of you teleporting me there?”

The archangel of valor chuckled, already turning to his work, “I’ve been told by someone you need the exercise…”

“It was Aladria, isn’t it? This is payback for all the jokes I made at her expense,” Tevar drawled, although he let gave a shrug, moving over to the stairwell, “If I don’t return, just assume I died walking up all these stairs.”

“Oh, you won’t have to walk up them.” Imperius said as he began to shift some of the mangled metal parts away from the ore. 

Tevar arched an eyebrow as he put one foot on the first step of the stairwell, “What is that supposed to-“

The rest of his words were lost in an undignified yelp as the steps on the stairwell began to move upwards. He had to scramble onto it just to keep steady, clutching the railing and shooting Imperius a look, “You did that on purpose!”

“You never asked,” Imperius called back, “I would also seek out Itherael to tend to your leg wound.”

Tevar huffed, shaking his head as he leaned on the railing as the stairs slowly ascended, “Yeah yeah, I’ll see you in a bit, brother.”

Imperius gave a distracted nod and wave in response before returning to his work. Typically it would take a team of masons to work with the ore and shape it into parts that would be used to form a structure. Imperius was not relishing doing the work of a team all by himself, but there was little to be done about that situation. At the very least with Tevar’s help, he could maybe get the larger pieces done in a day. The smaller parts, although complex, would be easier to handle given he could use his personal forge, although that would take another extended period of time of work without rest.   
It was an incredible amount of work and even Imperius felt a phantom pain of fatigue at the thought.

A part of him murmured that if he asked, Tyrael would no doubt assist. The archangel of justice had served a time as one of the masons of Heaven and was component at the craft, but that thought was quickly brushed aside. 

If there was no pressing need for Tyrael to be here, then he could stay up with Itherael, discussing the overall construction to come. 

Imperius sighed and moved to get the great smelters going, already eyeing up the heavy picks that would be used to break it all down. It would be tedious alone, bit it was better than having someone that he could not get along with around. All there was left to do now was to get back to work. 

By the time Tevar returned to help, Imperius had broken down most of the ore and had shoved it into the smelter were it was slowly melting into a pool of red-hot liquid. Only a few words were shared to direct the work that needed tending to before they were both rushing around the mason’s quarter, working on cleaning, melting down, then purifying the molten metal.

That was followed by the two of them cursing and grunting as they moved the huge molds for the request struts and sheets of metal out of storage into place and then, having to rush up to carefully maneuver the large containers of molten ore into place to be poured. Tevar had stripped down to nothing but his pants and boots, sweating heavily as he helped the archangel, every muscle in his body taunt from the heavy labor. He raised no protest and Imperius felt a swell of thanks for the mortal doing so much to help him in this endeavor. 

Soon though they could rest properly as the last mold was broken open and the cooling metal was set aside, piled up and ready to be taken to its final destination.

Tevar collapsed back on a bench, mopping his face with his discarded shirt as he looked over the fruits of their labor, “That was a workout! Tonight I’m eating as much as I like, that is for sure and then passing out.”  
“You did well brother. I would not yet be finished without your help.” Imperius said, stretching his wings, and looking over the struts and larger pieces they had created, “I will handle the glass components and smaller ones tonight. If all goes well, by this hour a day from now, I should have all the requested parts done.” 

“Need any help with that?”

Imperius paused for a moment in thought before he shook his head, “Their small nature requires more a magical touch as it were. Not to mention the heat within my personal forges is far too much for a mortal to handle. You have done more than enough already and for that, I am grateful brother.”  
Tevar nodded, letting out a weary yawn, “Well, you know where to find me…probably sore and laying on the couch.”

“As always brother.”Impeirus paused, his tone growing a bit cross, “But should you touch the game system and save over my file for that game, Wars of Eternity, then we will have words later, brother.” 

Tevar laughed, shaking his head, “I won’t touch your game, Imperius. Your saved game file is safe, I promise,” He said holding up a hand as if swearing an oath.

Imperius snorted before stepping over to put a hand on his shoulder, “I’ll take you to the library of fate. This first load of materials needs delivered anways so that Tyrael can begin construction.”

 

“Now you are being a true bro, Imperius.” Tevar said with a smile, “I owe you my life like ten times today.”

Imperius gave a chuckle as he let his wings stretch out to wrap about the various finished resources, giving a shrug, “I would give my life for yours, Tevar but I do not think you will ever allow that to happen.”

“Fuck no! We either survive together or we are dying together Imperius,” Tevar huffed, “Earth to bearth, womb to tomb….uh….arch to….I don’t know, funeral march?” 

That earned a more earnest laugh from the archangel of valor as he focused back to the library of fate, transporting himself and the materials there. They reappeared in the library, the materials crashing hard to the ground and causing Itherael to jump and step back, nearly dropping the blueprints he was looking over. The archangel of fate quickly collected himself, clearing his throat as he ducked his head in greeting to the archangel of valor.

“Ah, Imperius, I did not expect you to finish the larger pieces so soon. I guess everything went well at the quarry?”

“I had some help.” Imperius responded, giving a shrug, “I will be working on the smaller orders for the next few days.”

“And I’m going to be napping after how intensive this day has been,” Tevar murmured already starting to slink off, “Right now, bed is very appealing…” 

“Aladria baked a cake if you want some. It is most heavenly,” Itherael said, wings fluttering, “And a delicious meal called tacos.”

Tevar paused, musing before shuffling off a little faster, “Food and cake, then bed. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” 

Itherael gave a nod, watching the mortal go. Their posture became more rigid though as soon as Tevar was out of sight. Quickly, Itherael turned about, a slight waver of irritation to his voice as he crossed his arms over his chest, “…I do not like to question your judgement Imperius, but taking only the mortal to help you was terribly reckless!”

Imperius flinched before he quickly grew more defensive in his own posture, shoulders hunching forward, “Everything went fine.” He growled, “He was capable of handling himself.” 

“From what he tells me, you destroyed the great drill.”

“But we got what we needed.” Imperius retorted, “What does it matter if we destroyed it?”

“You were putting his life at unnecessary risk Imperius. I know you and Tyrael don’t see eye to eye but-“

“How come when I take a mortal out for something dangerous, I get told I put them at risk, but Tyrael has done it countless times, sending mortals to fight lords of hell alone, and gets praised for it!?” Imperius snapped, “I kept him safe! I did not sent Tevar in alone with no guidance as Tyrael did with mortals in the past!”  
“This is different!” Itherael protested, “You had other options! Tevar looks like he is barely able to stand! They are not us, Imperius, even if you may call him brother, you have to realize that even nephelem have their physical limits and require rest and food!”

“I know that! I told him to rest and he wanted to help me!” IMperius snapped back, “I do not force the mortals to do anything! Why do you insist on acting like I’m always out of my mind!?”

“Imperius-“

“I will finish what work you asked of me by tomorrow. I wish to not be disturbed.” Imperius spat, “Unless of course, doing my work now constitutes as me being insane too!” 

He did not give Itherael another moment to speak, vanishing quickly from the library and to his personal forge. Anger rose up, hot and heavy within his chest and felt like it was burning a trail of molten hurt throughout his form. He hated how, once more, he was being called reckless for all that he did to do as they wanted. It almost felt like a double standard really given that he had watched as Tyrael stood by when the nephelem had rushed to face Diablo. The archangel of justice had remained passive so many times when he was directing mortals to risk their lives but no, it was he, Imperius, who was reckless with mortal lives when he had done everything in his power to stand beside and keep Tevar safe.   
Once more, he was in the wrong and expected to admit that he was nothing but a reckless maniac that should be locked up once more.  
The anger, hurt, and hatred burned hotter, almost as if it tried to match the fire of the forge as he fanned it up to an inferno. Itherael’s chastising only festered along with the rest of the discontent and frustration burning in his soul, practically feeding the corruption that wanted to rip its ways through his being and turn his soul to a choir of howling screams. The corruption felt more alive now, like something that was always watching him, waiting for him to show a moment of weakness for it to dig its claws deeper in. It was growing so much harder to resist the hateful thoughts when it was becoming harder to consider those few angels left as friend. 

Imperius hefted up his hammer, wings burning with the heat of his discontent, and brought it down hard. He let the work rush over him to bury away the feelings wanting to rip their way to the surface and right out of his very being. For now, the work could be his escape from the rest of creation. 

He did not keep track of the time that had passed nor looked up from his work whenever he felt the shade of someone’s resonance at the doorway to peer in. He would not have acknowledged them anyways if they were to speak to him. Imperius held little desire to speak to anyone at the moment. He kept to his work and nothing else. However a vicious, bitter voice wondered if his companions would only have words of disdain for the work he completed and asked him to do it again, this time with their close personal supervision. 

He felt his anger flare as he hit down harder upon the piece he was working on, wings flaring out. 

No doubt there would be something he did wrong and of course, some noble deed of Tyrael would be brought up in comparision, done exactly the same way, but of course, the archangel of justice was right. 

Because Tyrael was always right in all he did in the eyes of Heaven and Imperius had become all that was wrong with Heaven. The reckless idiot. The one who fell to demon corruption because he couldn’t keep control of himself. Out of control. Wretched. Angry. Hateful-

He hadn’t even noticed he had broken the piece he was working on until the pieces fell to the floor, causing him to pause. For a moment he stared at the mangled chip, trembling some as he gripped his hammer harder. He felt the corruption writhing like a beast in a cage, just about to gnaw through the bars again. The archangel of valor took a step back, swallowing hard as he raised a hand to his chest, trying to force himself to calm down.

He glanced up to the small windows at the top of the forge, noting that the day had come and went and evening had fallen again. He had been caught up in his work but perhaps he needed a break. 

His resonance was starting to ach for the company of Tevar all over again and his words, even if they were often stupid or made little sense. There was comfort in them that he sorely wanted again. Imperius glanced over to stacks of already finished parts, letting out a sigh and shaking his head before he began to pack them up into a chest. 

First he would deliver this load of asked for parts, then he would seek out the mortals. 

It did not take long to focus on the library and appear there, pausing as he tilted his head as he spotted Tevar and Aladria, huddled together about the laptop talking about something. Both glanced up, offering a smile, the former giving a small salute. Itherael sat next to Aladria, the archangel of fate more guarded with his reaction, feeling the storm of anger just below the façade of calm Imperius was putting out. They moved to stand, their one wing sliding away from where it had been half draping about the mortal scholar’s shoulders.

“Imperius.” He greated softly. 

The archangel of valor regarded them for a moment silently before moving to slam the chest on the table, “This is only half of the order. The other half will be done tomorrow morning.” 

Itherael looked over the parts, giving a nod as he inspected one of the flat “chips” that had been requested, turning it over, “Excellent work as always Inperius.”

“As always?” Imperius sneered, “You sure it isn’t made too hastily? I might have been too reckless or careless in my work to your standards.”

The archangel of fate tensed some, easily picking up on the simmering waver of anger just below the surface, “Imperius… not all that is said is meant to insult.”

“But somehow, you always make it appear that way.” 

Tevar frowned a bit, looking a bit guarded at the remark as he rose to his feet, “Something up Imperius?”

“Nothing is up but the same old, patronizing lectures enduring,” 

Aladria bit her lip, glancing to Tevar before looking up to shoot a worried glance over Imperius’s shoulder. The archangel of valor didn’t need to turn to know that Tyrael and Inarius were at work behind him. The pair of siblings were working with the piece he had brought the previous day to construct the alcove and frame of the grand computer Itherael had asked for. However, Tyrael had stopped, looking up from where he had been diligently welding two pieces together when Imperius arrived. His posture was guarded, sensing the anger, but his reaction seemed far more apathetic and perhaps tinged with a bit of irritation. His wings had pulled close and there was a tension to his body language that indicated should Imperius start to lose his temper even a little towards Itherael, he was all but ready to leap between them. 

The entire room felt as if they were teetering on the edge of the abyss, one tremor away from disaster.

Itherael could feel it keenly and he was already drawing back from Imperius some, wings pulling close and trying to appear as small as he could as they glanced away from the larger angel, clearing their throat softly, “…well, to stray from more….touchy subjects,” they murmured, “I have found some information about this human group that we encountered.” 

“Oh do tell, Itherael.” 

The tone Imperius used was almost mocking in how short it was and it caused Itherael to flinch a bit, “I can save it for later if you are-“

“I’m in a perfectly fine mood as I can be, given the circumstances, Itherael. Do you only act so shy and like some sort of victim when you have an audience to feel bad for you and save your sharp tongue for when you have me alone?” Imperius drawled, taking a seat at the table, “Come now, let’s hear what you have to say.” 

He could feel the uncertainty and guarded nature of Itherael’s resonance and the barest hint of a tremor of fear. The feeling brought a sick feeling of amusement to Imperius as he crossed his arms, his armor starting to take on the familiar red hue it usually did when his anger was about to burst. A small kernel of guilt gnawed at the back of his mind although the dislike had made itself far too known today for those feelings to register. Even the corrupted skin seemed to have a fiery glow, as if hellfire itself burned beneath it now.

Itherael shifted some before moving to take a seat next to Aladria and picking up the laptop, “Imperius, I don’t- I don’t mean to ever lecture you. I just…” he let out a sigh before shaking his head, “Nevermind….for what it matters to anyone, I have found the location of the group. It is in the jungles of the region we once called the Torajan Jungles. After cross-referencing old maps and taking apart coded references, I believe they may have set up one of their bases of operation in the old capitol city of the necromancers of old.” 

“And how certain are you of that?” Imperius growled. 

“Very certain,” Itherael responded, wings tensing a bit, “All clues point there. They are talking of a vast underground complex. The ruins of the Necropolis would give a good base for such a thing. Not to mention, they are speaking of experiments that are being conducted using something called a ‘death engine’ which lends itself to the place and well… also possibly to Malthael.”

Imperius’s wings twitched, flaring briefly, “That does not mean anything though. That is all just speculation. Were you not the one who claimed that mere speculation was not enough to act upon, now you wish us to do that?”

“Speculation or not, Imperius,” A voice thundred from behind him, “It is information we can at least scout ahead and prove its validity. No one here said we were just going to show up in force, looking for a fight as you would want done.” 

The archangel of valor’s wings bristled at hearing Tyrael’s voice, turning his head and all but sending out a wave of discontent towards the other angel, “AH, so the ruler of Heaven, the might leader of the Angiris council, the glowing aspect of wisdom and justice and all other aspects of Heaven, speaks at last to cast his final judgement that all shall abide.” 

“Save your spite Imperius. I’m not in the mood to deal with your tantrums.” Tyrael snapped, “Now is the time for us to work together and put aside such differences, not constantly be looking for a reason to get upset as you seem to enjoy doing of late.”

There was a slight bristle from Imperius and he felt his anger boil up a bit more. Tevar was already moving to sit beside Imperius, quickly patting his shoulder, “Calm down big guy. No need to get all steamed up. We got to save that for fighting demons or cherubim right?”

“Fighting….cherubim?” Tyrael asked, wings drawing in close, “Where you…in the wildlands mortal?”

Tevar blinked before giving a carefree shrug,“Yeah. Imperius said we had to go get some ore and stuff. Hell of a time and we ended up dropping the drill down when the big cherubim crashed into it. Still, we got alive and well.”   
The entire time Tevar spoke, Tyrael trembled, his wings flaring out in agitation and his own disbelief and anger finally broke through as he turned towards Imperius, a wave of anger finally radiating from him.  
“You took a mortal to the wildlands Imperius? Are you mad? You know as well as I do how dangerous those lands can be!” Tyrael said sharply, “And I know how to use the drill! Why would you not tell me of your plans to go so I could have accompanied you!? Out of all of us here, I would have been the best choice for success!”

“You have put mortal lives at risk time and time again, Tyrael! Do not lecture me on being reckless!” Imperius roared, rising to his feet, “And I would never ask you to follow me into battle, let alone on such a small task as this! Can you not get it through your idiotic resonance that I hate everything about you!? That I want as little do with you as you would with me!?”

Tyrael’s wings flared as he reared up to his full height, not backing down this time. Whatever limit he had reached in terms of Imperius’s verbal abuse had been long since met, his emotions spilling free like a torrent, “If everything about me is so detestable, then why did you befriend a mortal whom acts just like me when we were younger!? Answer me that Imperius! All the times we spent and shared, it meant something to you if you would seek to just use someone else to copy that!”

Imperius felt his anger rise like a pillar of molten lava within him, barely contained. His entire form was trembling as he stared Tyrael down, feeling a mixed of confused emotions, of guilt and hatred in equal parts, sadness and rage all swirling together and waring within him. He found himself unable to speak, as if the rage in his very soul was constricting out all sound. 

Aladria was wide eyed, drawing back from the display of anger and even Tevar stood by helplessly, unsure of what to do to defuse the situation. Itherael was rising to his feet, a faint tremble to his wings as he raised his voice, “I do not think now is the time to-“

“Silence Itherael!” Imperius snapped, wings flaring, “This does not concern you!”

“AH, there we go! Now telling everyone to hold their tongue and not call you out on your reckless, maddening anger! Do you not realize that is the behavior that condemned you to begin with?! You bare the marks of hatred’s corruption and yet you still let it rule you!” Tyrael shouted, “The only problem between us are the ones you created to justify your actions!”

“Justify my actions!? I have to justify nothing! You have only ever found fault, all of you, with what I’ve done when all my actions have done nothing to harm Heaven! Yet all fall in line behind you Tyrael, you are always right despite leading us to destruction! That your precious mortals hunted us down, still hunt us down, and yet it is you, the one who lived as mortal who knows them so well!” Imperius was practically hissing, feeling the corruption slither about in his soul, practically howling to be allowed free. “You loved them above your own kind!”

The next think Imperius felt was Tyrael’s fist connecting with his helmet, causing him to jerk back, stumbling as he stared mutely at the archangel of justice. Shock was in his system as he stared at the archangel of justice, trying to process the fact the other angel had struck him. 

Tyrael stood heaving, his entire resonance screaming with the distress of his own emotions as he looked away.

“I did not love the mortals above you or above the other archangels. Never once was that the case although now, now I wish I was still mortal yes.” Tyrael said softly, voice trembling, “At least mortals understood what it meant to compromise with those they truly loved rather than just lash out aimlessly like some foul demon as you continue to do!”

The comment broke something inside Imperius. He felt like his mind was being swallowed up, drowning in a sudden swell of unwanted, heated emotions. The corners of his vision seemed to go red. The beast inside, that howling demon of hatred that was starting to replace the tremor of his resonance, finally broke the surface once more. 

The roar of pure rage that left Imperius did not sound like a battle cry or call of a Heavenly creature, but more the scream of a fiend of Hell. The rage blazed forth as he launched himself at Tyrael wanting nothing more than to rip the other angel apart. The archangel of justice had flinched at the roar, drawing back as if realizing the whole argument had gone too far, but he did not waver as Imperius came for him, ducking out of the way and already coming around with intent to fight back. He didn’t have to wait long before the archangel of valor was on him again, the two crashing against the ground in a furious knot of armor and wings.

Imperius was aware of hits against his armor as he tried to force Tyrael down. The archangel of justice squirmed and thrashed beneath Imperius and managed to get a knee up between them and delivered a savage kick, forcing the archangel of valor once more off him. Imperius staggered back, only to buckle as Tyrael delivered another harsh kick followed by another crack of a fist against his helmet. There was pain and he felt a trickle of blood.   
Imperius raised a hand to touch the wound, staring at his own white blood, mixed with traces of molten red. Tyrael too was baring small cuts that trickled blood from where Imperius’s savage grip had manage to tear the armor, a testament to valor’s enormous strength. Hatred burned up even hotter at seeing the wound and another almost mindless shriek escaped Imperius as he moved once more to charge the archangel of justice.   
A single hand grasped onto his shoulder followed by a flurry of glowing tendris as Itherrael latched onto him, trying in vain to hold back the enraged Imperius, digging his heels against the floor of the chamber. 

“Imperius! Please! Calm down! This is not-“ 

It was without thought that Imperius let out another roar and brought his left elbow back savagely into Itherael’s midriff. The archangel of fate let out a wheezing gasp, still trying to hold on. A second blow though send him lurching back hard into one of the shelves of the library, wheezing and clutching his stomach as he dropped to the ground. Imperius barely registered this nor Aladria’s cries of alarm as she rushed to help the fallen archivist. All she could do was wrap an arm about him, looking up in horror and watching as Imperius once more tackled into Tyrael, the two going down in a shower of sparks and shrieking metal and keens of rage.

 

Tyrael was an excellent fighter in his own right, but Imperius quickly was gaining ground. His weight and greater size were already an advantage enough, but the corruption gave fuel to his power. All he needed was a good hit, managing to hit Tyrael hard in the head, dazing him just enough for him to all but straddle Tyrael and reign down blow after blow. Each hit, each splatter of angelic essence sent a wave of undiluted glee as the high of the fight consumed everything. He was practically cackling as he all but threw Tyrael across the floor, a smear of blood following. The archangel of justice landed heavily on his stomach, although already he was moving to get up, his resonance burning with not just a need to win, but a desire for survival. Tyrael was all but crawling forward, trying to get his legs up beneath him, wings spreading with an intent to take to wing and disengage before the fight became more bloody only for him to scream as Imperius’s weight crashed onto his back, baring him back down to the ground.

The archangel of valor stared down at Tyrael as he dug both knees into the small of his back, hatred and a distorted sense of diabolical giddiness burning in him as his hands dug at the archangel of justice’s wings struts and began to pull on them savagely. 

“If you miss being a mortal so much, let me help you then, brother!” Imperius mocked, voice almost maniacal with the hatred singing in his resonance, “I’ll rip your wings off for you this time and throw you out of Heaven myself! That will make you happy, won’t it!?” 

Tyrael let out a wail of pain, fingers dinging furrows against the floor of Heaven, his wings flaring, lashing out at Imperius in an effort to try and dislodge him, but the strikes, even when they caused harm, went largely ignored. They tore at open wounds in Imperius’s forms, allowing more of the sickly looking angelic blood to pour out. The entirety of Tyrael’s back was awashed in their mixed blood and yet Imperius did not stop, as if immune to the pain, caught up in the task at hand.

“Is this not what you want brother? You did it before so effortlessly! You can go back to being a useless mortal and so adored by everyone while the rest of us die off! You can even let Mephisto in to finish us all off and then cower in fear as he burns all your Sanctuary to ash, just like he wants!” Imperius roared, “Or maybe I should kill you like he asked of me and he’ll release all the angels in his keeping and we can build Heaven without you!”

Tyrael was arching his back in a vain effort to keep Imperius from gaining enough leverage to tear the wings free, his hands riding up to clasp down on the pauldrons as if that would keep his wings attached. The archangel of justice no longer screamed, as much as wheezed and panted, as if his voice had all but been shattered by the how hard he had been shrieking. Yet little by little, Imperius pulled, the metal starting to come apart, wings flaring. 

All it would take was another few tugs. 

The sight of it all had that wretched new part of his soul, the demon of wrath, writhing in victory. The feeling bubbling up in a laugh, both happy and tinged with a broken sob as if a part beneath all of that wrath was struggling to return and stop this before the worse came to pass. Itherael was struggling to get to his feet trickles of his own blood coming from between fingers from the bruising wound in his side. Inarius did not approach, watching with almost a sick fascination from the side-lines, although his wings were tensed. There was reluctance to act, especially when the archangel of fate had been so easily thrown aside. He stood watching as Tyrael’s strength began to fail, his grip slipping in his effort to stop the wrath-filled archangel from pulling his wings off completely. Imperius’s fingers were digging more into the tear that had become to form, adjusting his grip, eager to-

Pain hit him hard in the side causing him to look up, grip lessening for a moment before another force hit him hard in the chest and knocking him onto his back and off of Tyrael. His senses reeled in confusion, half aware of a weight now on his chest. Blearily, through the haze of corruptive hate, he saw Tevar half lying on top of him, teeth clenched and eyes shiny with unshed tears as he clutched his weapon in both hands pointing it at Imperius.

“Tevar!?” Imperius sputtered, a sense of rage rising again, “What is the-“

“Brothers don’t let brothers do fucking stupid things that they are going to fucking regret for the rest of their lives!” Tevar shouted, voice choked with emotion, “Brothers look out for each other! That’s what I’m doing! I’m keeping you safe from yourself! I’m stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your fucking life!”

Imperius shifted, a growl of anger in his chest as he moved to sit up, “Get off of me right-“

“No! Not until you calm the fuck down! Not until you stop acting like you really want to kill Tyrael!” Tevar shouted back, “You didn’t do it in the past, you had every chance to do it, you told me you let it go! You stepped back! You told me you were going to fight this corruption! You said you weren’t going to just-just stop exsisting!”

The mortals words were raw and he could see the tears on Tevar’s cheeks, the tremble in his hands as he held the weapon he would never use against Imperius. He had done the archangel of valor no harm, just doing what he had to to get him off of Tyrael. The sound of Aladria’s muffled, sobs could be heard and he could hear the faint wheezes of Tyrael as well. The song of pain radiating in the room from every resonance was overwhelming. 

Reality came crashing back down like a sudden dousing rain as Imperius lay there, staring up at Tevar. The have slunk away and the demon inside his souls seemed to slink back into its cage, content in the carnage wrought. Slowly, Imperius lifted up his hands, both of them coated thickly in Tyrael’s glowing blood. 

“….Tevar…I….”

Tevar was trembling, but managed a broken smile as he dropped his weapon. He all but collapsed on Imperius, wrapping his arms about him as he heaved a shaky breath “…It’s okay…I’m sorry I didn’t act sooner.” He managed out, letting out a humorless chuckle, “I guess…I guess even the best of bros fucks up on timing sometimes…I should have stopped this sooner.”

Imperius didn’t respond, mutely starting to sit up and taking in the whole awful scene. Aladria was crying, clutching onto Itherael who was leaned against her some. The armor of his midriff was dented inwards with small cracks that had spread out from the point of impact. A trickle of blood had slipped out through those cracks and out from between Itherael’s fingers as he covered the wound in an effort to heal it. There was apprehension, confusion, and sorrow trembling in the archangel of fate’s resonance as he stared mutely at Imperius. Inarius was completely silent as well as he carefully made his way over to where Tyrael was now kneeling, hands clutching at his wing struts which barely clung to his back now. The tendrils twitched listlessly and blood poured heavily down his already stained back. Pain and sorrow radiated heavily from the archangel of justice as he trembled, having no will to stand or even move.  
Inarius moved to wrap an arm about his sibling, all but slowly dragging him away and towards one of the rooms to the side of the archive to be treated. Tyrael barely moved, although he managed to lift his head, for a moment, meeting Imperius’s gaze and for a moment, there was no hate between them, or anger. 

There was a shared pain, a sorrow, a silent cry felt more than anything. For a moment, it felt like they were looking at each other as they had once long ago in the past, on countless battlefields. The moment though was lost as Tyrael’s head drooped and his arms slide away from his shoulders as he passed out into the dreamless unconsciousness of angels who had suffered terrible wounds. 

Guilt washed over Imperius though as the horror of what he done sunk in. In that moment, he wish he could speak. He wanted to apologize to Tyrael for what he had almost done, but everything sounded so hollow in his own mind. He had nearly ripped the wings off another angel, off of Tyrael. He had been so angry….so hateful….

His gaze fell to his hands. The right remained still his own, but the left was curled more, the pinpricks of claws starting to emerge from the tips as the corruption began to consume it. Yet both hands were covered in blood. Neither part of what he was innocent of the harm he had wrought. 

Imperius trembled, unable to speak, unable to find the words that could even be used to beg forgiveness for the atrocious sin he had nearly committed. Tevar just kept a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort, but from the pained expression on his face, even he was having trouble finding the words to say and give voice to what they were feeling. 

The archangel of valor could feel Aladria’s eyes then boring into him, her expression twisted into sorrow as she stared at the corruption which had spread overhis left shoulder shoulder. The brilliant armor was engulfed now and replaced by rising protrusion of spines and bone, connected by pulsating, scaly sinew. 

Her eyes remained fixed on it before her eyes rose to try and meet his, eyes red with the tears that continued to spill down her cheeks.

“Imperius... he said….its…its corruption….is that why….is that why you are so….so …” her question choked out at a sob as she looked away. 

Imperius flinched, feeling his shame run hot within his chest. 

“…I …. I was wounded in Hell. By a demon of hate….its seed too root in my soul….” He managed out softly, “It is….I will not recover from it-“

“So you are dying. You are dying and…and you didn’t tell me.” She choked out, “You are dying and you keep…keep doing things to kill yourself faster! Like you want to become a demon!”

“I was going to tell you…” Imperius said softly unable to look at her now, hands clenching, “Not like this but-“

“But you could tell Tevar!” She shouted, rising to her feet in anger, “You could tell Tevar but couldn’t tell me!? I don’t want to lose you! I don’t want to lose anyone else!”

“Aladria I….I’m sorry. I should have…” Imperius took in a shuddering breath, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t make it hurt any less!” She managed out, “We could have been looking for a way to cure you!”

“Aladria, please,” Tevar began only for her to glare at him. 

“You didn’t tell me either!”

Tevar raised his hands, wincing, “He wanted to tell you himself when he was ready. Aladria, reacting like this-“

“I can react how I fucking want!” She screamed, trembling, “Everyone else is losing their minds, getting angry, so maybe I should to! Maybe that’s the only way anyone even communicates around here is by being upset and keeping secrets and bottling everything up!” 

She turned around then, running off with loud sob. Itherael started, rising to his feet as quickly as he could, “Aladria!” 

They took off after her, limping a few steps before getting into the air in an effort to catch up. Imperius sat there staring at the floor, not looking up as they departed. Unable to bare the sight of driving off someone he saw as a sister. 

Tevar let out a soft sigh shaking his head as he patted Imperius’s shoulder, “Well…that could have gone better. A lot better in fact. I’m sure everyone is…going to be on edge after this but... we’ll figure things out. I’m sure.”

Imperius remained silent, staring at his bloody hands and feeling guilt crush down on him. He had never wanted to make Aladria cry like that. He had never meant to hurt Itherael. He had never meant to hurt Tyrael either. Above all else though, he had never wanted to force Tevar to have to attack him like that. In a single incident, he had caused suffering on par with a lord of Hell. 

This was not what he was meant for the moment he was born. 

“….what am I becoming?” Imperius whispered softly. 

The question had Tevar looking down at him, giving a shake of his head, “you aren’t becoming anything Imperius. You are still you.”

“No. No I’m not.” He clenched his hands, form slumping forward as he rested the untainted hand against his helm, “This is not me. This darkness in my soul, this hatred, this desire to harm others for the thrill of it, it is…it is not me.”

Tevar bit his lip, patting his shoulder, “I mean…even mortals have a darkness to them. Doesn’t…doesn’t mean that is all there is to us-“

“But I never had it! Not until that demon corrupted me and I let Mephisto’s lies, his hatred….” Imperius trembled, touching a hand to his chest, no longer armor, but something molted flesh and bone, “But I let it in…I willing let this happen.”

“Imperius-“

The archangel of valor pulled away gently from Tevar’s touch, looking down over his corrupted form, to his left hand that was now starting to resemble more the claw of a demon. All of this was his fault, and his fault alone. He couldn’t blame Tyrael. 

He let out a choked laugh. 

“I guess Tyrael really is always right. I am….I am just a reckless fools.”

“Imperius, stop. Just because something wrong is done, doesn’t’ mean we turn it inwards into crippling self-loathing” He huffed, stepping closer to touch his shoulder, “You can’t blame everyone else, but you can’t blame yourself either!”

“…then who is to blame?”

Tevar sighed, shaking his head, “Sometimes there is no one to blame. That is just…how things are.”

Imperius shook his head, clenching his hands, “What I did I can never forgive myself for though.”

“Well, the people who have to forgive you for this, aren’t you, now are they?” Tevar drawled. 

Imperius flinched. He knew Tevar was right but something about those words still seemed so more easily said than done. It shouldn’t be that difficult though and yet of all things, of all foes he struggled again, this one task was what caused valor to be immobilized and trapped in the cycle of hate. 

It only made him hate himself more that he was unable to make the first step in truly healing even after confessing everything to Tevar. 

He turned away from his brother, unable to face him, vanishing from sight.   
There was no location in mind for where he ended up. All he wanted to do was get as far away from everyone as he could, landing heavily upon the floor and nearly buckling. He caught himself against a wall, gaze still fixed on his corrupted hand, still covered in blood. 

Imperius looked up, trembling before spotting a fountain, all but staggering over to it, plunging both hands into the water to wash the blood off. It fell away in whisps of white, but he continued to scrub at the wretched corruption, fingers digging against the black tendrils as if he could scrub it off. 

With each pass it remained. No matter what was done, fate had made clear that it had no intention of granting salvation so easily. Imperius felt of hatred rise up once more, directed at himself for letting this happen as well as at Mephisto for working his hideous touch into their ranks in the first place. If the corruption had not been in his soul, he would not have lashed out at Tyrael, or if he had, he would not have taken it so far. 

That is what he kept telling himself, although there was a twist of laughter at the back of his mind, whispering how he had nearly run Tyrael through with Solarion once before and how he had demanded Tyrael face justice time and time again in the past. He wanted to believe he was better than this hatred. 

The truth of the matter was he had always been more vulnerable to its touch.

Imperius stopped his frantic scrubbing, listlessly staring at the corruption before looking away, sighing softly, turning to let himself sink now against the lip of the fountain. His gaze went upwards towards the approaching evening sky and the stars that lit up the world above. There was a peace in their shine, soft against the purple of the bruising twilight. Vaguely, Imperius remembered that many of the older angels had always taken to observing the sky, looking beyond the light of the arch and into that eternal darkness that seemed more welcoming in the late evening. 

They all saw something up there, something between the light of stars and the darkness between them. Sitting there, gazing up though, Imperius recalled the stories told about the stars and he found himself tracing the familiar lines of the mighty warrior Astrafel, who crossed the burning Hells carrying his brother in arms upon his back, slaying thousands of demons to get him to safety at the cost of his own life. Beside him were the lines of Opheliel, the mother angel of nature who it is said cried for the loss of her dear cherubim companion and it was her tears that formed the pools of wisdom, for with wisdom came the empathy to understand. 

He paused before slowly tracing a series of stars, feeling a pang in his chest. 

There was nothing special about the stars, no official story, but they represented something important. 

“Those are the stars of the warriors of the falling spear,” he murmured softly to himself, recalling the words of his mentor, “Each time a spear falls to earth, the spirit rises up above heaven, poised high above. You’ll never lose your courage knowing all your brothers and sisters stand up there, a thousand spears strong, ready to fall with you again on ever strike.”

He could hear the laugh of his mentor as he wrapped an arm about him, pointing out the cluster of stars, of the awe he had felt in that moment. 

He wondered now if those thousands of spears ready to fall, would look upon him and see. Imperius looked down at the corruption, idly running his uncorrupted hand along it, flexing the claw. It was unsightly, but it was now him, a part of who he was. 

He glanced up at the sky, at the thousands of spears that wait to always fall at his side with every strike, the courage of the fallen past, the mentors who taught him to hold no fear. 

He felt so alone now without them, without his host, and without those he had called brother and sister. All of them were gone, fallen into the past. 

All of them, save one.

Imperius bowed his head, feeling another pang of guilt as he thought about Tyrael. They had been so close from the start. They had never truly agreed on a lot of things to be fair and they had their arguments, but they had always found means by which to mend their differences. 

Tyrael had not deserved what was done to him today. Nor deserved the treatment he had received as a mortal. 

At the end of it all, for better or worse, Tyrael had done what he thought was right for Heaven.  
It was just not the method Imperius had wanted or perhaps….perhaps he had clung to that hope that they could still do what was right for Heaven together, as equals, once more.  
He had not wanted Tyrael to leave him alone in Heaven, just like all the other spears that had fallen. 

A soft laugh escaped Imperius as he recalled Tevar’s words, shaking his head. The mortal had said he had issues of abandonment and although he probably meant it jokingly in his usual fashion, he probably was more right than he knew. The archangel of valor traced a hand over his corruption, focusing himself away, reaching out for the familiar presence of Tevar, of his brother, of the person who knew him best, just as Tyrael once knew him best. 

Who knew him well enough to stop him when all others pulled away, thinking him already lost. 

He appeared in the living room, glancing about before he spotted the mortal hunched over the game console, and he felt is resonance soften as he quietly approached. Tevar glanced up, smiling at Imperius before he scooted over, patting the floor beside him, “I’m still stuck on level seven of Reaper Swarm. It has a multiplayer though if you want to pop in and help me beat in the faces of some mutant demon reapers and save the universe.”

Imperius settled himself down next to the mortal, picking up the player two game controller and giving a small nod, “I would be honored brother.”

“Hey, it’s what bros do right? We look out for each other.”

“We do….” Imperius dipped his head, “….thank you for today. For stopping me.”

“Like I said, I only wish I stopped you sooner. I don’t want you living with that guilt when you are coming so far and got so much more left to fight for.”

The archangel of valor was silent, watching the game load, “…do you think if….I apologize, that….that Tyrael would forgive me?”

Tevar shrugged, “I mean, can’t hurt to try right? Worse that happens is he will tell you to fuck right off but… I think both of you want to set something straight, even if you aren’t like you use to.” 

“He said I replaced him with you….and….perhaps I did.” Imperius hunched over the game controller, “Does that make you think less of me?”

“Imperius? Why would I think less of you for wanting someone in your life that fills a void you lost?” Tevar huffed, “I’ve lost friends before. Good ones, but I found new friends, new people. Sure some of them were like my old friends in part, but that’s not replacing. Do you want confuse me for Tyrael?”

That caused Imperius to let out a quiet laugh, eyes fixed on the screen, “No. Not at all. I don’t understand you most of the time and you are far too cheeky.”

“See? I’m not Tyrael. Not young Tyrael….” He chuckled, glancing over, “Maybe he was just…a little jealous seeing you act like you used to with him. Maybe this thing you have is more a both way thing than either of you like to admit.”

Imperius shrugged, “…but I still hurt him.”

“And all you can do is ask forgiveness and apologize.” Tevar responded, “But you know what? Let’s put all tht on the fucking shelf for a while. We got reaper cyborg zombie shit to kick the ass off and we aren’t stopping until we finish this game. You, me, and two liters of caffeine. What do you say?”

The archangel of valor looked over at his brother, feeling a warmth of affection that seemed to spread throughout his form and push the corruption back further, letting his resonance sing a little louder. He nodded, turning his attention back to the game. 

“I say that is a noble venture indeed brother. We will slay them and unlock the bonus content as well..”

“Full completionist run eh? I like our style bro. Let’s do this then!”   
Imperius couldn’t’ help the slight flutter of his wings. He felt guilty for having a moment of happiness at all, but what wrong was there in taking solace with his brother in arms over something trivial, just for a moment? Just to give him tine to regroup his thoughts.

After the harm he had done, now he needed to fix himself before he bothered to try and fix what he had broken today. 

Maybe it was too late to apologize. Maybe it was too late for forgiveness. 

But at least he could try, just one more time, to make things right this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending for this was re-written a dozen times, parts added and taken out...but I felt this simple one, of them playing games and talking...just was the best note to end on <3
> 
> The group better get their shit together!


	18. Epiphany

It was unusual for the kitchen to be so quiet by late morning. Typically by this time, Aladria was up and about with Ithreael trailing her steps and Tyrael at the table offering his opinions on what food was being prepared. Tevar usually would show up by the time the smell of food was in the air and then Inarius would skulk in to see what was going on.   
Given what had happened yesterday, Imperius was not surprised everyone was missing, especially Tyrael and Itherael. Tevar as well given he had stayed up late playing video games and hadn’t gone to sleep until dawn was about to break. 

The archangel of valor though had hoped Aladria would be there so he could clear the air with her and try to mend things with her. At least an apology to her seemed like it would have the most success given the withheld secret was not done with any malice involved and no personal harm to her.   
That is, if he didn’t make it worse somehow. 

The archangel of valor sighed, idly sipping his coffee, musing over how he was even going to phrase the apologies he needed to make. He wasn’t Malthael and able to speak elegantly enough to draw people into his words and assure them of his sincerity. Imperius knew in his nature he was blunt and prone to being forceful with others to get the response or reaction he wanted which tended to make his apologies seem rather…angrily phrased.   
Imperius was even having a hard time trying to recall a moment in the past where he had apologized in a really sincere way and slowly was starting to realize with an internal cringe that it was rare that he had apologized for anything. 

It was an uncomfortable realization about himself that he had never really thought about. 

Imperius was starting to wonder why any had followed him as an archangel when he had just continued to barrel forward, a prideful, blustering force of unapologetic nature that’s reaction to any sort of criticism seemed to be defensive anger. 

The whole incident yesterday at least had finally broken his pride, forcing him to humble himself and take a look at how cruel his nature was under his weak morals.

Another sigh escaped him as he sipped his coffee again, slouching over the table, feeling a small quiver of frustration as he continued to muse on what would make an actual good apology to start trying to fix this whole awful mess he had created. 

 

“Ah, the archangel of valor in a rare mood of contemplation and not some form of anger.”

Imperius’s wings flicked about in slight irritation as he glanced up at the speaker, barely holding back a small growl, “Inarius. Rare to see you skulking around here before everyone else shows up.”

“What do you mean? I just show up late on principal. All of you just perceive I’m skulking. Really, why do you all think I’m always up to something?” the former prisoner asked, tone amused.  
“Because you usually are, Inarius.” Imperius responded with a grumble. 

Inarius chuckled as he slid in the room, moving to get himself a cup of coffee, “Suspicions and paranoia aside, are you feeling better?”

“I was.” 

Inarius let out another chuckle, glancing over his shoulder, “Still so grumpy, Imperius! After what happened yesterday, I would think you would want to be nicer to all of us.” 

Imperius took a sip of his coffee, “I’m surprised you are talking to me, given what I did to your brother.”

“Ah, Tyrael. He’s not dead and doing better. Still unconscious, but the bleding was stopped and his wounds on the mend.” Inarious responded casually, giving a shrug, “Not the worse shape he’s been in.”

Something in how the other angel spoke of his brother’s condition as if it was a minor inconvenience and that yesterday in general was just like any other day caused Imperius’s resonance to bristle and the corruption to writhe slightly. It did not sit well with the archangel of valor. Really, he expected Inarius to be more upset, sharper with his tongue. Yet the former prisoner waved it off rather callously. 

In fact, Imperius could not recall the other archangel doing anything during the whole incident other than observing it with an almost sick interest. He had only stepped in to Tyrael’s aid when he had dragged his brother off to tend to his wounds. 

Something about such behavior did not feel right.  
“I think Tyrael would disagree with you on that.” Imperius finally murmured, looking away.

“Most likely,” Inarius responded with another shrug, “To be fair, I don’t know how his mood will be like when he wakes up. He might be my brother, but I have never found him easy to predict. His mood has a tendency to change rather rapidly and follow his passions.”

“I know that.” Imperius growled, “I’ve known Tyrael as long as you have, Inarius.” 

“True. In fact, you probably know him ah, more intimately than I do.” Inarius said, a hint of a laugh being barely contained in his voice, “Before I left Heaven, you two were ah, getting on well. Holding hands a lot.”

Imperius felt another wave of discontent that caused even his corruption to squirm, finding this entire conversation uncomfortable. It was far too casual, given the circumstances. 

Far too uncaring. 

The archangel of valor found himself looking away, wings pulling closer to his body as his responses became somewhat more guarded, “We were friends, brothers in arms. Nothing more.”

Inarius tilted his head, “Nothing more? Seems like there might be a lot between you if both of you get so upset with one another. Some sort of unresolved tension.” 

The archangel of valor snorted, about to retort only for his response to catch in his throat as he felt Inarius lean against him. It took every instinct in his body not to just move away from the other angel, feeling like something was wrong with all of this and Inarius was after something else. He simply sat there, as if turned to stone, staring ahead at the wall as he swallowed down his anger. 

The former prisoner just sipped his coffee casually as if there wasn’t anything wrong or couldn’t feel the discomfort flowing off of him, “You don’t have long, do you?” he said idly.

“If you are going to bring up doing a lightsong with you, I’m sure you are aware it is too late for that.” Imperius growled out, “The corruption is distorting my resonance far too much so it isn’t even a prospect that you should entertain.”

That caused Inarius to laugh, shaking his head, “Please Imperius. You and I both know that demons have their own ways of reproducing, although,” he chuckled, sliding a finger up Imperius’s chest over the corruption without hesitation, “Of course, at that point, the children wouldn’t be angelic, but nephelem, but you and I both know there is greater potential in such offspring.”

Everything in Imperius’s resonance was screaming for him to push Inarius away and get far away. The reaction wasn’t just his resonance though, the demonic corruption also seemed to sense something, like a ripple of darkness that was causing it also to want to get away as quickly as possible. It was only his stubborn valor that kept him sitting there, turning to stare at Inarius as if his gaze alone would somehow force the former prisoner to remove himself from his personal space.   
“I’m not interested in your advances, Inarius and I do not like being touched.”

Inarius chuckled, sitting back, “Can’t blame me for trying yes? It has gotten lonely in Heaven.”  
“You can always talk to your brother.”

“Tyrael is no fun to talk to anymore. He has taken his duty and shoved it so far up his rear, he could probably create diamonds from coal,” Inarius drawled, “He isn’t as trusting of me either.”

Imperius had to hold back a comment that at least that was one thing he could agree with Tyrael on, especially with how the comment just made it apparent to the archangel of valor that any pleasantries the former prisoner held for his brother were a farce. 

The long imprisonment had left its mark on Inarius, far deeper than he let on. 

Imperius could feel something dark in him, buried deep beneath a glowing resonance. A pool of cold hatred that carefully waited to enact something. There was pain there as well as fear. The corruption upon his own soul almost seemed to growl a warning, that this was something to keep an eye on.  
The detection of that had Imperius rubbing a hand over his chest some, unsure of if what he felt was just the normal feeling of an angel’s resonance or something starting to take shape as he became closer to a demonic creature.   
“I think you are being fussy is all.” Imperius finally said, covering up his discontent, scooting his chair away from Inarius some, “Tyrael trusts far too easily.”

Inarius chuckled, “I think he has learned some hard lessons about trust. He is far more guarded and suspicious. A pity. We always did work better together than apart in the past.”  
“Time heals all wounds, so the saying goes…”

“Or just makes them more apparent,” Inarius responded, “But things will work out if you plan it in your favor.”

Imperius repressed a shudder at Inarius’s words, wings flickering some as he turned his attention back to his coffee. 

Relief flooded through Imperius when he heard the shuffling of feet, quickly looking up as Tevar dragged himself into the room. The mortal’s eyes were still puffy with sleep, but he managed a tired smile as he moved over to the coffee machine to pour himself a cup, “Afternoon…”

“Afternoon brother.” Imperius responded, already scooting over to make room between himself and Inarius for the mortal to sit.

“Afternoon.” Inarius responded, tone amused, “You are here late.” 

Tevararched an eyebrow as he glanced over at Inarius, “Must be if you are here.” 

Inarius gave another shrug, taking a sip of his coffee, “Tyrael is still out and Itherael and Aladria went to Sanctuary this morning. I suppose she is upset and avoiding everyone. She seemed oddly sore this morning though when I passed her and Itherael.”

“Hm? Must have been a run for something then.” Tevar murmured. “And being sore is nothing new for mortals. Maybe slept funny or some shit. I slept against Imperius once and I woke up feeling like I slept on a slab of concrete all night…”

Imperius snorted, “I tried to move you but you hissed at me.”

“You are uncomfortable to sleep on, but you are warm,” Tevar protested, “Like sleeping on a heater that is just the right temperature.” 

Inarius gave a shrug, “Who knows where they slept. I did not see them return to the archives. I was there all through the evening tending to Tyrael in the antechamber.”   
Tevar cocked an eyebrow, “Well, I didn’t see Aladria come through to head to her bedroom at any point during the night. Did you Imperius?”

The archangel of valor cocked his head thoughtfully before giving a shake of his head, “No. She did not come home and I did not feel Itherael come near either.”  
Tevar’s eyes narrowed, raising a hand to rub his chin, although he was starting to smirk, “Oh, that is suspicious…”

“Why is that suspicious?” Imperius huffed, “She was mad at me. I would not fault her for not coming anywhere near me. Not to mention Itherael was injured. They could have gone somewhere to treat him.”

“Oh, I bed she treated him all right.” Tevar said with a sly look.

Inarius chucked, “Dear Tevar, are you implying that they helped comfort each other with a bit more hands on attention?”

“You are reading between the lines on the same wavelength, Inarius.” Tevar responded with a grin, “That is exactly what I’m saying.”

“What are you two saying?” Imperius growled, feeling a bit frustrated as he looked over at the two, “She probably needed some physical comforting like a hug with how upset she was!”

Tevar was cackling, shaking his head as he moved to the kitchen counter to put some sugar into his coffee, “Oh yes. Sure it was just a hug and not a horizontal tango.”  
Inarius nearly choked on his coffee trying not to laugh as Imperius just shook his head, grumbling under his breath, feeling like he was missing some context to this whole conversation. 

The sudden bang of the kitchen door opening brought any further conversation to a halt as Aladria stormed in, making a beeline for the fridge, a rustling bag of supplies at her side. It was clear she was still somewhat upset from the set of her shoulders and the casual glare thrown their way, but her stride was interrupted by the fact she was limping, even hobbling a bit as if she was dealing with some great discomfort. 

Tevar arched an eyebrow, looking a touch concerned,“You okay Aladria?”

“I’m fine. I just…tripped yesterday.” She huffed, a faint tinge to her cheeks as she went about getting herself some breakfast, leaving her bag of purchases on the counter. “I tripped and think I sprained my ankle.” 

“Uh huh.” Tevar murmured as he leaned against the counter, his concern giving way now to suspicion, “I may not be a doctor, but that isn’t the limp of a sprained ankle. You are putting weight on it. You are walking more like someone who has ridden a horse for too long.”  
“Well you aren’t a doctor and it is a sprained ankle!” Aladria snapped, face taking on a more scarlet hue, “Just…leave it alone, will you?” 

“I’m sure Itherael could provide healing for the pain,” Imperius murmured softly.

He winced a bit as she turned to give him a half-hearted glare before she turned away with a shake of her head, “Its fine. I got something to help with it down in Sanctuary. Itherael and I needed to do a run for a few things for the archive computer.” 

Tevar’s eyes narrowed some, rubbing his chin as he eyed the bag she set on the counter as she crouched down to open the fridge. There was a gleam in his eye as he carefully set his coffee down before darting over to snatch up the bag. Aladria let out a cry of protest, quickly slamming the fridge door and turn to give chance to Tevar as the man darted about the room, rifling through the bag. 

“Tevar Covetous Shen-Kingsbury! You give that back right now!” Aladrai yelled, trying to swipe the bag back.

Tevar just grinned as he pulled out a container in the bad, wiggling his eyebrows as he looked over it 

“Well what do we have here? Ointment for…chafing?” Tevar asked, grin widening,“And what is causing such sudden chafing for you?”

“The armor! It just…chafed!” Aladria responded as she grabbed the ointment and tried to snatch the bag back, only for Tevar to once more dance just out of her reach. 

“But you haven’t worn it in a while!” Tevar pointed out, “Why would it just start hurting now?”

“I…I wore it yesterday! I did some training!” She protested, trying to grab at Tevar again. “The armor chafed!” 

“Your armor or Itherael’s armor?” Inarius asked, casually sipping his coffee, “Do I need to have a talk with our archivist about how delicate mortal skin is to being rubbed raw by armor?”

Imperius only felt confusion burning in his soul, looking between Tevar, Aladria and Inarius, “Why would his armor be chafing her?”  
“It wasn’t his, it was mine!” Aladria protested, her face as red as a tomato now, “Give me that bag back!”

Tevar laughed as he pulled out another item, cackling louder, “Morning after pill Aladria!? Oh my fucking Akarat, you two really did it!” 

“Tevar!” 

Imperius sighed and as Tevar was just about to scamper past him, he reached out to catch him by the back of his nightshirt, “Give her back her items, Tevar. Before she most likely throttles you.”

“Bro, not cool!” Tevar whined.

Aladria sighed as she snatched the bag back from Tevar, bundling it close to her chest and looking away, looking thoroughly humiliated, “Thank you Imperius.”  
“It is the least I can do.” Imperius murmured, “I do not like seeing you upset.”  
“Oh she isn’t upset Imperius. It is embarrassment,” Tevar said, pulling up a chair to sit between Inarius and the archangel of valor, “She and Itherael were being terribly comforting last night.”  
“Nothing happened!” Aladria hissed, shuffling over to the fridge and moving to gather a few food items.

“Do I need to give Itherael some pointers on how to use his sword?” Inarius asked innocently, “If they were so unskilled as to make the night less than memorable and like nothing happened-“

“No! He was perfectly fine!” Aladria snapped before she realized what she said and looked away, shouldrs hunching as both Inarius and Tevar burst into laughter.

Imperius tilted his head, confused by the whole of this conversation, “…but Itherael already knows how to use a sword competently. Why would he need your advice Inarius?”

“Because, dear Imperius, I have far more experience in sheathing it then our dear archivist. Not to mention I know of more than one position in which it can be sheathed to heighten the moment,” Inarius said, his tone more than a little smug. Tevar burst into another fit of laughter, practically wheezing as Imperius just looked between the two, shaking his head. 

“You are all awful!” Aladria snapped, face completely crimson before quickly stalking out. 

Tevar was trying to hold in his laughter as he shook his head, “I told you Imperius, less than a month before they were knocking boots!” 

“I still don’t get what you are trying to imply.” Imperius growled.

Tevar tried to gain control of himself again, wiping a tear from his eye, “Look, Imperius. I’ll tell it to you in the most laid out, direct way possible-“

“Don’t tell him Tevar.” Inarius interrupted, raising a hand, “Innocent like this is a rarity in this world, especially now that our dear archivist has tasted the forbidden fruit, Imperius might be the last kernel of innocence within Heaven!” 

Imperius looked between the two, feeling a slight ruffle of irritation before he rose to his feet, grumbling under his breath as he moved to place his mug on the counter, “I’m not some innocent fledgling, Inarius.”

“You are, in more ways than you know,” Inarius responded with a chuckle, “But if you ever want to lose that,” He leaned onto the table, wings giving a flirtatious waver, “I can help with that.” 

Tevar choked on his coffee again as Imperius stared at the other angel before letting out a frustrated sigh and turning to leave, “If anyone needs me, I will be in my forge.” He grumbled before stalking off.

He had no idea what the two were teasing him about and he has a sneaking suspicion he really didn’t want to know. Imperius was more than sure if he knew the context of their banter, he might be throwing Inarius off the side of Heaven and then erasing Tevar’s saved games out of a stint of anger.  
And really right now, anger was the last emotion he wanted to be feeling for a while. 

The archangel sighed as he slunk into his forge, glancing about for a moment before moving over to the work bench and starting to pick through the tools on the counter. He still had some of Itherael’s order to finish, mostly the small parts. It would take barely the afternoon to finish up the order and have it delivered to the archangel of fate. 

Maybe by then, Imperius mused, he would have his apology worked out.  
He picked up the small hammer used for rune carving and turned to pull his magnifying lens down into place, peering down at the chip before setting about his work. Yet even as he worked, he mused on how he was going to formerly apologize to the others. Each option Imperius went over in his mind never sounded right. Every situation he attempted to plan out only seemed to end in ruin and the more he agonized over it, the more he felt like the entire idea was a hopeless one to pursue.   
A part of him wanted to fall back on the strategy he had used as a fledgling where he more or less avoided the person who was upset with him entirely, burying his head under a pile of blankets and pretending everything was all right until the person forgot why they were upset. Of course, that strategy had always failed as one of his mentors was there to drag him out by his legs, kicking and screaming to go pay penance for whatever he had broken in one of bouts of anger. 

Imperius winced a bit, pausing in his work as he thought back to those terrible tantrums he had thrown as a fledgling. He used to even kick out at those attempting to calm him, flipping tables and once, he recalled he broke the head off one of the statues in the grand hall. That had ended up with him spending months polishing the entirety of the school hallways with naught but a small cleaning rag and a bucket of water.   
It seemed he had not truly ever grown out of his tantrums. Just everyone had grown more fearful about trying to calm down his volative temper.   
Everyone but Tyrael.  
The archangel of valor looked down at the parts he had been crafting, his wings drooping as that single thought started to sink in. Tyrael really had been there at his side for a lot of his more explosive moments, often holding him back or getting in the way of his destructive wrath. He even recalled times Tyrael had tackled him, just to throw him off his warpath. Yet each time, Tyrael had never been upset or lectured him. There had been a humor to it all. Even the more physical restraints like the tackling was played off as him tripping and just happening to fall into Imperius in the most dramatic fashion.  
He had really relied on Tyrael so much for that strange support and it had helped Imperius in starting to wrestle with his bad temper, if only a small bit. 

It was after Sanctuary was discovered that dissonance seemed to settle between them. Imperius paused in his work once more though, as another thought began to viciously worm its way to the forefront of his thoughts. 

Perhaps…there had always been dissonance between them and he had just lied to himself that what he and Tyrael had was fine and healthy. Maybe all this time, Tyrael was humoring him out of the goodness of his own character, not out of any true affections or sense of connection like Imperius felt there to be.  
Maybe he had just been as reckless in love as he had with everything else in his life. 

Imperius did not feel a rush of anger at the thought, more a sudden sadness that began to settle on his shoulders, causing his wings to droop slightly. There was no point getting angry over something that might not have had existed in the first place. He let out a soft sigh as he returned back to his work, hunching his shoulders as he diligently worked over the small components Itherael had requested. The work brought some small measure of relief from his ill moods. At least in this task, in the forges of Heaven, he still had confidence in his own abilities.

Imperius glanced up as he heard a knock at the doorway, glancing over his shoulder towards the stairwell. “What is it you need?”

“Imperius, is it safe to come down for little old mortals? I don’t see the fires of a volcano shooting out as usual.” Tevar shouted back, “And talking to Inarius is fine and all, but eh, not as fun as talking to you.” 

The archangel of valor glanced to the hearth for a moment to ensure the heat of it had cooled before calling back to Tevar, “The forge is cool. You may enter.”

Imperius returned to the work, gently tapping out the runes on another chip, probably looking comical with how small the tools he was using were in comparison to his body. Each delicate tool looked more like they were made for a mortal child than for the delicate craft of forging.   
Tevar sauntered in, looking about at the piles of parts already made, organized neatly on the work table before moving up to peer over Imperius’s shoulder, “I’m not intruding am I?”

“No. I’m nearly done.”

“You work fast…but I guess when you don’t need to sleep, you can just go like an energizer bunny.” Tevar shifted some, looking Imperius over, “You okay? Inarius mentioned your resonance felt rather morose…”

Imperius stiffened, his tone guarded, “Why is he listening to my resonance?”

“We were just shooting the breeze and I brought up Auriel and all the stuff you were telling me about her, and how we don’t know what happened to her and all. He suggested talking to Rakanoth and see if Hell heard anything and I was like, oh, I suggested that to Imperius and he said maybe,” Tevar said with a shrug, leaning against the work table, “So then we were like, why not do it today so were coming over to ask you about the portal to the happy fun land, but then he said you felt in a bad mood and we should ask later.”

“Ah.” Imperius murmured, relaxing a bit, “I see.”

“So being the good bro I am, I decided to come down anyways to see what is causing your bad mood now. I feel we need to talk things out before you get lost in your own head and assumptions,” Tevar murmured, glancing over at the archangel, “So, what’s up?” 

“…just thinking.” Imperius murmured, “Realizing I haven’t…really changed in thousands of years.” 

Tevar sighed, “So feeling sorry for yourself?”

“No. Not really.” Imperius glanced at the mortal briefly, “More feeling like I’ve failed everyone. That things might have been different if I had just…not acted.” He paused, tensing as his thoughts drifted over Tyrael, “or acted better.”

“Some would say that is feeling sorry for yourself,” Tevar drawled, poking Imperius in the side, “And you usually don’t sound this depressed over just that.”  
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Imperius sighed. He was silent for a long moment before looking over at the mortal, “Have you ever been in love Tevar?”

That had the mortal cocking an eyebrow before giving a shrug, “I’ve had my crushes. Had a few lovers. Nothing ever really stuck.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his head, “I swear I inherited my grandpa Shen’s terrible commitment issue, but why do you ask?”

“How did you stop thinking about someone and just…let go of that feeling?” Imperius asked, tapping away at the chip he was working on, “And just move on?” 

Tevar leaned against the workbench now, looking intrigued and trying to hide a small grin, “Oh? Is our angry archangel of valor in love?”

Imperius huffed, wings flaring as he paused in his work, “I’m not in love now!” He snapped, “But just…lingering on the idea I might have been is causing problems now!” 

“Well, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me who you are pinning for.” Tevar said with a wide grin, “Spill the beans on your love life bro! Let ole Tevar Covetous Shen-Kingsbury ease your troubles!”   
“I feel that is a terrible idea, given how you tease and how you say you have commitment issues,” Imperius drawled.   
“Hey, the Shen side has the commitment issues.” He paused before laughing nervous, “And the Kingsbury side… family legend on that side of how one of my ancestors changed his last name to the city he lived in and then had to change it to Kingsbury to avoid being thrown in prison for sleeping with some noble’s wife….”

Imperius snorted, “You are not making a convincing argument.”

Tevar sighed, prodding the archangel of valor’s side, “Maybe just tell me to get it out and off your chest so you don’t simmer on it and don’t have an outburst.” 

The archangel of valor stared over at Tevar for a long moment before he hunched his shoulders, starting to work in an effort to distract himself. His armor started to take on a slight flush and even the corruption seemed to take a slight rosy hue of a blush, “…Tyrael.” He finally grumbled, “A long, long, time ago, I think….I think I was in love with Tyrael.”

“I knew it.” Tevar whispered low. “So fucking knew it!”

Imperius only snorted, remaining silent as he etched out another few small runes. He couldn’t help but feel slightly defensive, on edge and all but ready to argue should Tevar make some unnecessary comment about the matter. For his part, Tevar merely rubbed his chin musingly, eyes narrowed thoughtfully before he turned to prod Imperius’s side lightly.

“So… are you mad at him for breaking up with you? Is that like, the source of your hate?” He asked. “You two are still having shockwaves from a messy break up?”

“We were never together in the first place,” Imperius snapped. “I didn’t even realize what I had then might…be seen as more romantic feelings.”

“Ah, a hindsight sort of issue…and you think you still like him?”

“I nearly tore him apart Tevar. I think that those feelings between us have been buried deeper than your ancestor’s bones.”   
“That’s pretty deep…” Tevar sighed, “And I suppose that is a point, but I mean, you could still have liked him and then….I don’t know, just some bad water between you?”

Imperius snorted, shoulders tensing, “There is centuries of ill-will between us since when I may have had feelings for him. Not to mention, I don’t even think my feelings were…reciprocated anyways.” 

Tevar pursed his lips some, “Did you ever ask him?”

“No, but given how things have gotten, I highly doubt what was felt was real. HE made the first moves to end whatever connection we had.” 

The mortal was silent, watching Imperius as he worked before shaking his head, “You can’t know that for sure Imperius. He might have like you.” He paused, tilting his head, “I could ask for you.”

That had Imperius tensing, shaking his head, “That is….terribly juvenile! And I don’t want to know! I want this to be put in the past and just …move on! I want to look at Tyrael and feel nothing!”

“Well, that isn’t really a solution, now is it? Being apathetic about it is not going to make Tyrael just stop being mad at you either, Imperius. You can’t just bury things with other emotions,” Tevar drawled, “And really, maybe sort all this out after you make some sort of apology.”

“…I’m terrible at apologies.” Imperius growled. 

Tevar sighed, shaking his head, “Okay, so you are bad at love and terrible at apologies. How about we start with what you are good at.”

“Forging. Fighting,” Imperius murmured, returning back to his task at hand, “War dances…”

“…war dances?”

Imperius’s wings fluttered a bit nervously, shaking his head, “Part of the culture of the angels of valor was to participate in war dances before battle to help build up moral. It inspired the host, invigorated the soul, and create a desire for competition and combat. It was something we did only amongst our own though, not with or in the presence of other hosts.” 

“See, I did not take you for the type to dance.” Tevar admitted with a shake of his head, “You just don’t seem…the sort that is light on his feet?”

“I am a very capable dancer.” Imperius snapped, wings flaring with indignation, “I would not be the archangel of valor if I was only competent in the art of battle! A warrior must build aptitude in pursuits outside just war. It is tradition for the warriors of Heaven to learn dance as well as combat!”

Tevar just shook his head before leaning over, “I’ve got to see this. You have to show me your war dance now Imperius, or I will forever doubt you. Even if every angel says that it is true valor angels practice dance, I will not believe it until I see it.” 

“Then you won’t see it and can continue to doubt me,” Imperius huffed. “Besides, proper war dances need at least two valor angels participating and I’m the only one left in Heaven!”

Tevar tilted his head, “…do I count?”

That caused Imperius to pause, glancing to the mortal before letting out a sigh, shoulders hunching as he returned to his work, “I suppose so brother. You have proven your valor time and time again and handled yourself well. I shall grant you honorary status in my host.”

“Good! Then there are two of us in valor. We can totes do a war dance together. You just got to teach my two left feet to move,” Tevar said with a grin.  
He couldn’t help a soft chuckle, although there was little humor in it. There was a pang of nostalgia to Tevar’s request. He recalled rather vividly, when Tyrael still was part of valor and before his ascension to justice, had been learning to war dance. More importantly, he remembered how awful Tyrael was at it. The archangel of justice had no rhythm to his steps, flitting about to some unheard beat half the time, and always seemed to stumble right into Imperius and cause the archangel of valor to overbalance. Many a dance practice ended up with Imperius flat on the floor with Tyrael and a half dozen other valor angels sprawled out around them. The nickname for Tyrael during those time had been the Thundertoes the footcrusher. Yet despite the setbacks, he had tried for the longest time and had managed to get passable at a war dance.   
Tyrael had only stopped trying after he was named archangel of justice, caught up in his own duties and host to care for the art anymore. 

“You okay? You are staring off again.” 

Imperius jolted from his thoughts, looking over to Tevar again before sighing, peering back through the magnifying glass at the last chip he was working on, “The past has become a rather troublesome, morose shade of late is all.”   
“Maybe focus on the future?”

“Oh yes. My imminent corruption.” Imperius drawled, inspecting the chip before adding a few more dainty chips to the runes, “When I lose my mind and then you all will have to put me down like a mad beast. Truly a bright, hopeful prospect to focus on.” 

Tevar winced, rubbing the back of his head, “Well.. I meant more the imminent future? Like, we might play some video games later or maybe we can swipe the laptop and get a turn on the internet?”

“The internet?”

“Itherael and Aladria got it working.” Tevar grumbled, “But they are hogging it now, saying they need it for information to help in this planned attack on this base. Personally, I think we need Tyrael to rise up and pass justice that we all get turns on the internet. I haven’t checked my message boards in months!”  
Imperius paused for a moment before picking up the chip and moving to place it with the other finished parts, “Tyarel has not risen?”

“No, he’s awake. Went to check-up on him with Inarius. He wasn’t walking straight. Something about damage to wings causing balance issues and disorientation until they are aligned again, but he was awke.” Tevar said with a shrug, “Awake and well, listen, I think most rappers would have blushed at how colorful was cussing out Inarius and you. I have never heard so many fucks and assholes used in one sentence.”

That caused Imperius to wince, “…Inarius and him aren’t getting along?”

“More like he was wondering why Inarius didn’t do anything and left Itherael and a pair of mortals to try and do anything and Inarius being smart about it. Now Inarius is in a peeved mood and Tyrael is with the lovebirds, but hey, won’t lie,” Tevar snickered some, “It was fucking hilarious to hear Tyrael call Inarius a demon fucking hoe bag. Oh, I’m so proud I’ve taught him our cuss words well!” 

Imperius shook his head, “…I’m sure he will have words to share with me during the apology.”

“Yeah. Probably. Just stand there and take it. Go to your inner Whimsydale until he’s done,” Tevar responded with a shrug, “Tyrael seems the type to chew someone else because he’s at his wits end and then immediately cools off and apologizes.”

“…he often has good reason to yell at someone. He doesn’t do so just…because he can.” Imperius murmured. 

That had always been a rather large difference between them. Imperius let out another sigh, shaking his head, “I hope he recovers without incident.”

“He looked like he was on his way to recovery, walking like a drunk man aside,” Tevar moved over to Imperius’s side, watching as the archangel sorted the materials, “So…what are you up to now, when this is done?”

“I will deliver it to the archives and to Itherael.” He paused, shifting a bit, “If he is there, I will attempt to apologize to him and to Aladria.”   
“And if they aren’t there? Going to wait around for them?” He asked. 

Imperius paused in thought before giving a shrug, “Maybe. I am…I am not certain.”

He didn’t relish the thought of sitting and waiting for them. He would no doubt drive himself mad just trying to phrase how to greet them and not have it come off as awkward or intrusive. Not to mention the tension that it would cause to come back and just have him there, especially if Tyrael was with them…

“If they are not there, I think I will return to my halls and do some training.” He finally said at length.  
“Well, how about after you drop off the parts, and if they aren’t there, you come find Inarius and me? We’ll be in the living room chilling. You can come get us and we can go see Rakanoth and I don’t know… poke him with a stick until he talks?”

Imperius chuckled softly, “I suppose that is a plan. Fine then. I will seek you two out.”

“Excellent! I will pass the word along.” The mortal gave a small punch to Imperius’s shoulder, “Take care big bro.”

Imperius paused, tilting his head before returning the gesture as lightly as he could, still nearly pushing Tevar over, “I will see you then.” 

 

Imperius watched as Tevar scampered up the stairs, no doubt to seek out Inarius and tell him of their plans. Still something didn’t sit right with him. He could not fathom why Inarius of all angels would want to interrogate the hellbeast they had in captivity. He had made it more than clear he did not care much for the plight of the other archangels. In fact, Imperius was certain that the former prisoner would be the one to cause the most trouble and raise the most protest when Malthael was in their custody. Given it was the archangel of wisdom who was ultimate in charge of the decision to hand Inarius over. To say there was some bad blood between the two was an egregious understatement. 

Still, something about this situation had every instinct in his body murmuring something wrong, as if he could smell something off in the water now that his former senses had just ignored. 

Like a drop of inky shadows in a pool of light that only he was starting to notice as the corruption attuned him more towards the darkness. 

Imperius heaved a sigh as he finished packing the last of the parts up and hefted them up under one arm. Maybe he was just overthinking all of this again and letting his dislike for Inarius start to cloud his reasoning. It was becoming so hard at times to keep track of what might actually be his thoughts and which ones may be influenced by the corruption on his soul. Imperius gave a final look about the forge to make sure he had everything he needed before he teleported away to the library of fate.  
There was a slight murmur of relief within his resonance when he saw no one in sight as he entered the library. The place was still a mess with wires and the like sticking out of the now constructed frame. There was a scribbled note pinned to one of the struts that indicated that Ithereael, Aladria, and Tyrael had went out to the gardens for a break. Imperius was just relieved that Tyrael was okay and not…so wounded as he would be permanently scarred. At least not physically so. 

The archangel of valor set the box down on a table next to one of the boxes he brought yesterday, glancing about. 

The library seemed eerily quiet without the usual hustle and bustle of the two scholars but if they were here, he doubted the library would seem any warmer after yesterday. No doubt there would be a layer of frost over both of them until he could make his formal apology. 

He let out a sigh before quickly teleporting away, reaching out his senses as he arrived in the halls of valor once more. He could feel Inarius, although not as well as he used to. After what had happened yesterday, the corruption had gain more ground and he was starting to realize his senses were starting to shift. It was probably only a matter of time before he no longer could feel other angels entirely and become silent. 

Imperius shuddered as he started to head towards the living room, hand rising to clench over his chest. He hoped by then though, he would already be gone rather than have to experience that silence.   
Tevar and Inarius were right where the mortal said they would be, both of them sprawled out on a couch, Inarius with his slippered feet resting on top of Tevar with a bottle of soda on hand, a brightly colored bending straw emerging from, and Tevar, with one leg up over the back of the couch and a ball of popcorn being nursed in one arm. 

The sight was rather comical looking and the two looked so comfortable, Imperius almost didn’t have the heart to let them know he had arrived. However, Inarius must have sensed him as he leaned his head back, taking a noisy sip from his soda before letting the straw fall away from where his mouth was, “Ah, Imperius. Good of you to join us.”

“Tevar said you wanted to go question Rakanoth.” 

“Indeed. I think I might be able to get him talking.” Inarius said as he sat up, “And it seems that everyone wants to speculate about what happened to Auriel or rely on patchy mortal memory than you know, actually asking a beast that was probably around to actually know.” 

“And I’ve been saying it for a while now we need to shake the demon down for some answers,” Tevar said with a grin. “Just give him the old good cop and bad cop routine!”

Imperius nodded, although he couldn’t quell that small feeling that there were alternative motives to all this, regardless, he turned on his heels, starting to head out, “Come. I have the pendant in my personal quarters. We can handle the business there.”   
“Ah, so that is where you hid it,” Inarius murmured, “I was thinking about finding it and going by myself to see this demon.”

“Why?” 

“Oh. No reason really. I just wanted to have a…heart to heart chat with Rakanoth. We have some history,” Inarius responded, his tone pleasant, yet underneath it, something caused Imperius’s to repress a shudder. 

There was something left unsaid, a slight tremor of that distaste that felt all too familiar. 

“I do not think it is wise for any of us to be left alone with the demon.” Imperius murmured, “If you need to see him in the future, you will always speak to me about it.”

“Fine fine, but really, we could manage time so much better if we didn’t always have to wait for a group,” Inarius drawled. “Really, we should have been interrogating the wretch weeks ago.” 

“Rakanoth was never a prime concern other than what to inevitably do with him,” Imperius snapped as he lead the way to his chambers, “I’ll let you two in to see what he knows, and when finished, he will be dealt with.”

Inarius tilted his head, “Oh? You have decided his fate then?”

“I will by the end of it.” 

“Ah…making decisions on the fly as always I see.” Inarius shook his head, “I suppose it keeps your reign as king interesting to keep everyone guessing what you’ll do next.” 

Anger rose up in Imperius at the comment and he felt his hands clench, but he did not respond. He made an effort to not rise to the bait of Inarius’s barbed words, only picking up his pace to arrive at his chambers faster. The flippant attidue of the other angel was starting to grate on his nerves. Everything was being treated as rather unimportant and his desire to just causally talk to Rakanoth on his own made every inch of Imperius, both angelic and demonic, writhe.   
The archangel of valor all but stormed into his room, pushing open the ornate double doors with a bit more force than intended. He made his way across the room to a vault placed into the far wall, placing his hand about the symbol and letting his resonance open it. He had his own places to hide things, although, unlike Malthael or Itherael, he took no pains to make it terribly hard to find such places. 

He just made it difficult, nigh impossible, to break the defenses he enacted about his own items.  
The pendant sat where it had been left and carefully he lifted it up, shutting the vault behind him and turning to the other two. 

“Are you ready then?”

“Ready as ever. Let’s return to the land where childhood icons go to Heaven,” Tevar said with a chuckle.

Inarius gave a wave of his hand, “Yes, yes, let’s go to Malthael’s misbegotten fever dream and deal with the lord of despair.” 

Imperius’s wings tensed, biting back a slight growl at Inarius’s response before opening the rainbow portal and stepping through.

The familiar stretches of oversaturated colored landscape and clunky, cartoonish trees were as they were left before and the natives were happily moving about, their giggles and inane chatter echoing over the landscape. Everything was as serene and peaceful as it had been left which meant the bindings had held.

There was but one difference now to the land that caused Imperius to freeze briefly, wings spreading slightly in alarm.

A new sensation washed over him suddenly, as if he had just walked into the middle of a driving storm that was splattering rain over him. It washed up over him, feeling almost like the resonance of an angel, but different, as if the frequency it existed on was not as pure, rumbling from darker recess of creation. There was a heavy feeling of anger although that was overwhelmed by a lonely feeling of despair, an aching sadness that had Imperius’s resonance shuddering and wanting to draw back. However, the corruption within him seemed to react to the feeling, almost as if it reached out to latch on, not feeding off it as much as wanting to connect and share a common feeling of misery.   
The sensation was new and the archangel of valor nearly turned around to leave so as not to feel this new, unwanted connection. It was like what he felt in Inarius, but more potent, fully formed and not simply a small feeling of misgivings. He did not like the feeling, having a suspicion of what it was and what it may mean. It was only his stubborn courage to see this through and a small, damanble sense of curiosity that caused him to start moving forward, allowing the other two to pass. 

Tevar came through first, hugging some as he glanced at Imperius,” Something up? You sort of stood in the way there for a while.”

“Was just…taking in the scenery.” Imperius murmured. 

Inarius scoffed, “I think you grow stupidier by admiring anything here. Malthael created a waste of a world with all two notes of piss poor creativity he had.”

“Hey now. You made mosquitoes Inarius. That was a piss poor creative idea.” Tevar drawled, “and I can think of a dozen other weird animals that shouldn’t be, but are, so don’t go dissing someone else’s world unless you want me to lay out all the shit I think you should have left out of Sanctuary.”

The former prisoner tensed but fell silent and Imperius had to hold back a small chuckle at hearing his brother hold his ground on that issue. True Whimsydale was not the most creative of places, it was made with very sincere intent and care. Malthael had tried so hard to show this side of himself, ultimately too embarrassed to let any but a few know of it.

Yet the whole cheerful mood of the place was still dulled by that cloud of despair, malice, and loneliness that seemed to permeate the air. Unsurprisingly, the feeling only got worse the closer Imperius got to where Rakanoth still lay bound. 

Rakanoth did not look mighty now. The demon was covered in flower crowns and braided rings of periwinkle pink flower now as well as a healthy coating of purple sparkles. Small glimmering stickers like stars were stuck against the side of his blades and the front of his face was smeared in icing from where the natives had decided to “feed” him every time he opened his mouth to speak to hurl curse at them. There was a low growl coming from the demon and to anyone else, it would sound impressive enough, no doubt making them believe the demon was stewing in his own rage.

To Imperius, the sound meant nothing. He could feel the despair that Rakanoth held, a sense of loneliness and gloom that did not match the tone of the growl at all. There was anger yes, but it was muted, as if Rakanoth did not have the energy or perhaps will to get upset with the current situation. The demon felt more as his namesake and the misery he felt seemed to murmur with IMperius’s own dour mood from before, quietly humming in agreement about a mutual melancholy. 

The feeling had Imperius tensing again, one hand rising to trace the clawed left hand over the corrupted chest. As far back as he remembered, he had been taught that demons shared no connection between each other, that the demons lacked an ability to feel what their kin felt. Demons could not resonate with angels and thus, they themselves could not resonate at all. 

Right now, what he felt more or less destroyed all those assumptions made by the lofty scholars of Heaven. He could feel Rakanoth, could feel a connection to the demon that was not unlike what angels shared among each other. For the first time, he was feeling a demon in a way that made his entire form feel violated, especially knowing that that his feelings of revulsion, anger, and hatred were being felt no doubt by the demon as well. Especially when Rakanoth’s growl lessened, and he lifted his head, almost curiously as to why he was sensing his own kind.   
For the first time in his life, Imperius felt completely lost for words. It felt like he had been dragged before the pits of Hell and forced, for the first time to look into that darkness to see what really was looking back.   
Tevar nor Inarius seemed to take note of Imperius’s sudden tension, no doubt brushing off the silence and rigidly of his posture as just him barely containing anger towards the demon. Neither were privy to the weird exchange between the demon and corrupted angel.  
Inarius did not hesitate to approach the demon and give a small nudge to the demon’s shoulder, “Rakanoth, seems you are doing well in captivity. Do you think you are in the mood for a little chat?” he asked, his tone amused, although carried a thrum of something darker. 

Imperius jumped as the other angel spoke, feeling uncomfortable with the situation, especially when he felt Rakanoth’s fear spike, as if the demon sensed something more keenly than the corrupted angel’s more imperfect senses. 

“I will tell you nothing,” Rakanoth spat, gnashing his teeth, “You truly are fools to think I would speak to the likes of-“

The demon was interrupted by a sudden savage kick into his face, fangs breaking under the impact and one knocked lose completely. The move was so sudden from Inarius and held with it such viciousness, it had even Tevar blinking in alarm, his good mood immediately gone. Imperius couldn’t help but flinch, feeling the sudden roll of pain wash over him from the bound demon. His entire soul shuddered, hating what he was being forced to feel and confront. 

It was easier to hate a demon when he could not feel such raw, unabashed emotion from them.

“You can bluster all you want, Rakanoth, but this is your last chance to save your skin. You tell us what we want to know, and I’ll make your death quick,” Inarius responded, crouching down and roughly grasping onto the crest of the demon’s head, “Otherwise I will apply every single technique Mephisto used on me on you for the rest of eternity.”

Tevar shifted uncomfortable, glancing towards Imperius who, for his part remained still. There was something dark about Inarius as he interacted with the demon, especially his threat of torture. The way he said it, almost made it seem like he was looking forward to the act. Inarius almost seemed to be eager for the demon to hold his silence if only to have an excuse to harm Rakanoth again.

What made Imperius even more uncomfortable was the slight tremor of fear he felt on the demon as it hissed and blustered, trying to appear as if the minor pain had not spooked it.  
Rakanoth managed a laugh through the broken teeth, spitting blood on the ground before he spoke, voice low and dangerous, tinged with a snarl, “Those torments will not work on me, filthy whore! I was born in the Hells! Such pains will do noth-“

The demon let out a sudden screech as Inarius let a spell of light flow from his hands and against the demon’s hide. The spell seared the demon’s skin, causing it to rise and blister as if burned by fire. Inarius didn’t flinch. He maintained the torment for a short period before he withdrew his hand to speak again.

“I will be adapting those techniques, I assure you. Heaven has its own methods of torture.” He leaned in, patting Rakanoth almost lovingly, “Eternity will not be pleasant for you but I’ll make you feel as welcomed as your lord made me feel welcomed.”

Imperius tensed before shaking his head, stepping forward, “Inarius, will not be keeping the demon locked up here for eternity.”

“Then what do you propose? Kill him quickly so he may be reborn in the Hells or perhaps let free?” Inarius responded curtly, “Shall we have a repeat of when you had Diablo captured and you killed him just to allow him back into battle later?”

That caused the archangel of valor to flinch, taking a step back. That had not been one of his finer moments and he had practically felt the disapproval of the council wash over him after the deed had been done. Malthael had had a few choice words for him later, that much was certain. He raised a hand to touch his corruption, glancing away as Inarius turned his attention back to the demon lord. 

“Now, where was I. Ah yes…” Inarius raised a foot to crush it down on one of Rakanoth’s arms, leaning forward to press his weight on the joint, causing Rakanoth to let out a hiss of pain, “You were about to answer our questions. Now, if you are so inclined, what is Mephisto’s larger plan?”

“I will tell you nothing!”

Inarius did not pause in applying a spell of light to his foot, burning it against the demon’s skin and causing Rakanoth to howl. The agony radiated off of the lord of despair and caused Imperius to hold back a shudder. He felt it, just as assuredly as he felt Tyrael’s pain when he had been attempting to rip off his wings.  
It was the same sort of agony. 

Rakanoth was panting, shuddering as Inairius leaned in again, lessening the spell once more, “Now, Rakanoth. What are his plans? I can keep this up for days if I must. I have a lot of…ah…issue to work through and as I can’t return the favor to Mephisto, you’ll do nicely.”

The lord of despair was silent for a moment. There was a shiver of fear and it was clear Rakanoth did not doubt Inarius’s words and knew more pain would be unleashed. He was weighting his loyalty now against the more primal desire of demons to survive. Even before he spoke, Imperius knew that the demon had conceded. 

He knew that Rakanoth did not want to suffer anymore of Inarius’s torture. 

“….I don’t know his plans.” The demon growled out, lowering his head, “ I remained in Hell. My orders were to train his disciples before they were allowed to ascend up to Sacntuary for whatever goal he had.” 

Inarius let lose another touch of torturous pain, causing Rakanoth to shriek and writhe, unable to escape his tormentor. 

“You are lying.”

“I am not!” Rakanoth howled, “Lord ah! Mephisto makes not the lowest of his ranks privy to his inner workings!”

“And you would have me believe that you, the lord of despair, is low in the hierarchy of demons?” Inarius sneered, “Don’t make me laugh!” 

Rakanoth let out another roar of pain, thrashing but unable to break the bindings, panting as skin blackened and flaked under the angel’s torementing touch. Tevar was looking away, wincing and Imperius knew his brother was not approving of this, but was not speaking up. A demon in pain could be justified. It was evil and foul, a corrupting, emotionless creature that dwelled in its own sin with relish, lying only to try and save its own skin.   
What Imperius felt was blinding pain that destroyed any defense Rakanoth had against his own emotions. There was fear there and an aching despair mixed with a desperation to get away. They were all emotions he had felt in his own angelic troops in the battles of Hell, of what he felt when he has ripped in to Tyrael. Rakanoth spoke the truth, not making any attempt to lie given his desire to avoid pain.

Imperius hated how he felt so much pity for the demon now that he could feel what it felt and made his ancient enemy seem more akin to them than he would like.   
How what he saw now of Inarius tormenting Rakanoth was merely a mirror to what he had done to Tyrael the day before and the same voice whispered at the back of his mind how this wasn’t right.  
This wasn’t what Heaven was meant to become.

Inarius stepped back, leaving Rakanoth groaning, head drooped. He idly clasped his hands behind his back as he leaned forward, eyeing the demon, “So let’s try again. What are Mephisto’s plans?”

“I told you what I know…” Rakanoth groaned, “He trains his disciples in Hell for goals in Sanctuary where he has built his new lair. I know little beyond that. I am disgraced, my plains of despair taken…I am lord of despair in antiquity alone!” 

“If that is true, you really are a pathetic waste of our time for information. Do you have anything useful to say?” Inarius asked, raising a hand, already burning with light. 

“He has angels captured….for playthings I know.” Rakanoth said quickly, “He keeps them all close in whatever lair he has, so I’ve heard the disciples say. But I know nothing beyond that!”

“Do you know anything about Auriel?” Imperius asked quietly, his voice not holding the level of anger or thunder he wish it could. “Or Penabriar?”

Rakanoth was silent, head turned towards Imperius. He could feel the demon’s misery and no doubt it could feel the pity and hatred he had in his own soul. He expected the lord of despair to laugh and sneer, brag about the victory of Hell for corrupting the mightiest among them. 

But Rakanoth seemed to hold his tongue for now on that, lowering his head, “I know nothing about Auriel other than when I held her captive. Penabriar is a name that has been murmured about in the Hells, but the context, I truly didn’t care to ask about. The affairs of mortals never interested me.”

“Even more useless then.” Inarius said with a sigh, “Unfortunate for you.”

Rakanoth tensed, snarling louder, “Fine, doubt my words traitor of Heaven, whore of Hell! Do your worse! You are nothing but a babbling madman screaming in Mephisto’s loving care, desperate to please to avoid his torment, still so convinced that Lilith actually loved you!”

Imperius couldn’t hold the flinch as Inarius unleashed a savage delude of pain upon Rakanoth, causing the demon to howl loud enough to make the very ground quake. The demon’s back arched as he tried to escape the misery Inarius was placing upon him. The archangel of valor looked away, even as he felt the demon so keenly, understanding that the words were not met as barbs back at Inarius. Rakanoth was trying to enrage Inarius enough that he would overdo his torments and end his life. 

He was seeking death to avoid pain, to avoid begging for mercy and at least die with a shred of pride left to hold. 

It reminded Imperius too much of himself every time he roared up in anger against every perceived slight made against him.   
It felt too familiar. 

Inarius stepped back again, crossing his arms as Rakanoth lay panting before him, shuddering and wheezing, “You have one last chance to say something useful demon. If not, then I’ll take my vengeance from you. I will do upon you what your master unleashed upon me, every day for the past millennium!”

The lord of despair let out a quiet hiss, raising his head just enough to spit at Inarius in a feeble attempt at a show of strength, “A curse upon all you wretched angels! When Imperius goes mad from his corruption and joins us, I hope he devours you first!” Rakanoth lifted is head, laughing viciously, “The mighty of Heaven, fallen to the corruptive touch of a demon whelp of Mephisto! How ironic! Now terribly despairing! You really were weak Imperius! To think we all feared you so much!”   
Imperius did not flinch at the demon’s words, nor did he grow angry at them. Not when he knew how desperate such words were. Knowing that the reason Rakanoth probably said them was for him to become enraged and step in and slay him and spare him the torment of the other angel. 

He was counting on Imperius to be reckless even as he started to howl in pain again as Inairus started to gleefully unleash another round of agony upon his own prisoner. 

“Then I guess this is what you’ve chosen, Rakanoth.” Inarius said, cold and casual as ever, “This is the eternity you’ve decided on. I cannot say I’m displeased though.”  
The only response was a cracked wail of agony as Rakanoth convulsed, his entire form lit up with holy energy, blood dripping from his maw now.

Tevar shook his head, fists clenched, “…I’m leaving.” He choked out, “I can’t watch this. This is…really sick.” 

Inairus paused to glance at the mortal, head tilted, “What did you expect to happen when I said we were interrogating him?”

“Something like a bad cop, good cop kind of thing? Like, mind games or something?” Tevar shouted back, “Now just watching you get your sadistic kicks out of causing pain! You can’t just…torture sentient beings like this, no matter what they are!”

“Oh trust me, Tevar. If our places were reversed, the demon would have no qualms about our anguish. This one tormented Tyrael’s lieutenant Izual for ages, twisting him in Hell and breaking his soul so completely he could no longer return to the arch.” Inarius explained, turning back to the panting demon, “Your pity is really misplaced mortal, especially when it would never be returned.”

Tevar was silent, looking uncomfortable as he shifted from foot to foot, “I know but…still…”

“Sometimes, for the greater good, we have to be a little vicious ourselves Tevar,” Inarius responded, tone soft as if he was trying to sooth a child, “The demon doesn’t feel anything for it though. Demons are incapable of true feeling or connection.”

He turned back to unleash another bol of energy against the demon. Tevar flinched at the howls unleashed, looking over to Imperius. He looked lost and conflicted, unsure himself of the choice to make. The territory was so muddled between good and evil, light and dark. For once, it was the mortal that looked to him for guidance, for some semblance of how he should feel.  
Imperius stared back, feeling every moment of agony that washed through Rakanoth, the despair at knowing this would be unending. The howls of the demon sounded like the screams Tyrael had made when Imperius had been tearing into him. The desperation in Rakanoth’s soul felt so familiar to the one that burned him when he broke down before Tevar, admitting how much he still wanted to live. 

The soul of the demon that twisted with his, causing the corruption to ripple with a sudden burning anger wanted only one thing. 

Not death. Not destruction.  
Just the innate instinct of all living creatures: To live.  
What he was witnessing was not right and unjustified. 

“Inarius, stop!” 

The former prisoner stepped back at the sudden order, wings flaring in surprise as the archangel of valor stalked forward, standing between him and the wheezing demon. “Imperius?”

He could feel the confusing coming off of Inarius. He had caught the former prisoner off guard by stepping in as he had. He hesitated for a moment, darwing back like a spurned child before rallying himself again to stare the archangel of valor down, “What? He doesn’t know anything. It is just a demon.”

Imperius straightened himself to his full, impressive height, wings flared, summoning Solarion to his hand. Anger was burning up, but it wasn’t anger born of hatred. It was a wrath born of the reckless but noble valor that was at the core of his being. In that moment, he felt more like himself than he had felt in ages past.

“You will not torture this demon further.” Imperius stated, voice raised as if he were giving orders to his own troops, “That is not our way, Inarius. We were made to be better than the fiends of Hell, not revel in pain and agony as they do! We were meant for…for more than this!”

The words were ones once said to him long ago, when he was too blind to listen, too stubborn to admit what he had been doing was wrong. He almost could laugh at the irony that he was using Tyrael’s same words now to defend the life of a demon.

“As if you had not tortured demons in the past Imperius!” Inarius shot back, “This has been a practice in Heaven long before I started, what is changed about it now!? Why are my actions not justifiable when you and yours have done it before and collect their heads as trophies!? Like the beasts they are!?”

“What has changed about it now is…is I have been forced to face an uncomfortable truth about our entire conflict.” 

He raised ah and to his touch, to the corruption there. He hated it. He knew this darkness would consume him, but it had also provided a strange clarity into the nature of his enemy and for once, he realized the old wisdom he had so scoffed at, held a bitter truth. 

Magtherius had often said that Hell was merely the mirror of Heaven for angels to look into and see only what was different, but never what might be truly a reflection back. Those words had confused Imperius and ultimately, he had brushed them off. Like so many angels, he saw it as naïve to consider that Hell was anything but evil. Like Malthael, he had seen nothing redeemable in the darkness and that it all must be purged. He had stared into the light and never once paused to look back at the shadow he cast.

Standing here, half corrupted, now with a foot in both world, he could understand the mirror that Magtherius had wanted them all to be aware of in their pursuit of true virtue. 

The demons were not unfeeling. They were different, born of darkness and filled with their spite and evil, but they were not without emotion or dreams or desires. 

They feared death and pain as much as any other being in creation. They fought for a place to live in this broken world just as surely as angels did. Since the birth of their two kinds, the base of their conflict, had merely been a desire to be able to carry on.   
The revelation was crushing and strangely relieving all at once. It felt strange and even now he struggled to wrap his mind about it, about what this really all could mean, what it meant for the nepehlem who stood always in both worlds and the mortal children they had produced. 

Yet in that moment, the revelation only could be expressed in the single act of mercy that could be delivered.

“No more harm will come to him.” Imperius growled out, “As ruler of Heaven, that is my decree. The demon will suffer no further torture by your hand or any other hand in Heaven.”

Inarius made a scoffing sound, stepping back, arms crossed, “Then what will you do? Kill the beast? Put it out of its misery back to hell?”

“No.” Imperius growled, shoulders hunching, “He’s useless to us. He can go skulking back to Hell. If we meet again in battle, then we will settle our difference on equal terms in combat, as is our fate.”

He did not have the desire to slay the pathetic lord of Hell as he was now. Rakanoth was already thrice defeated and brought low and reduced to nothing but curses and insults that held little weight. He could feel the demon staring into him as well as the confusion that rose up in the lord of despair as he shifted.  
“The demon goes free.”  
Imperius brought the butt of Solarion down, opening a portal to Sanctuary before moving over to where Rakanoth lay. He only hesitated a moment before bringing the tip of his spear down to scratch out the key binding rune. With a sudden flash, the spell dissipated, more or less setting the demon free without restraints.  
Inarius and Tevar both took steps back, the former shaking his head, wings raised, “You have gone completely mad Imperius! He is going to attack us!” 

“Not to agree with the sadist her Imperius but…what the fuck?” Tevar managed out.

Imperius didn’t look to either of them. His gaze remained on Rakanoth, unwavering in intensity, although he did step aside, pointing to the portal he had open,“Leave now Rakanoth. If you linger, I will slay you.”

The lord of despair did not rise right away, claw clenched and his entire form trembled. The demon was stunned and the confusion that radiated off it was tinged only by a quiver of anger. The demon lord let out a low growl as he slowly rose to his feet, his entire form wobbling from the wounds still fresh upon his body, “You….pity me? Do you think me weak!?”

“I do pity you, but not for your weakness,” Imperius growled, “But for how far you’ve fallen to have to resort to petty insults to try and prove your strength. I’d rather meet you in battle and slay you at your prime than do the deed now.” 

Rakanoth was silent and Imperius could feel the anger and confusion, yet there was another emotion now. There was a strange trepidation that ran through Rakanoth as the demon looked to the portal. He stood there, looking at the flickering surface for a long time before with a snarl, he sat back on his haunches and gave a shake of his head, “I will not leave.”

Imperius let out a growl, clutching Solarion, “I said if you lingered, I would slay you, demon.” 

“If I leave, I am dead anyways. Lord Mephisto will have me killed or tortured.” Rakanoth spat, “The weak have no place in Hell and even if you respect my power, my kin will see me dragged through the fields of torment until I am nothing but visceral and bone upon the landscape,” The lord of despair paused before lowering his head, “I will stay here and serve you, Lord Imperius.” 

The archangel of valor’s wings flared some in confusion, “What?”

“I will serve you.” Rakanoth snarled, leaning forward, “I cannot return to Hell. There is nothing left for me there. No land. No title. No respect. Here in Heaven, it is more of the same, except….you have let me live.”

Inarius shook his head, “You can’t be serious…”

Tevar was blinking, looking equally confused, but he still approached, hands on his hips, “…how do we know if you are serious about this? A demon serving an angel?”

“He knows I’m not.” Rakanoth growled, “He feels it.” 

Imperius was aware of all three of them staring at him all wanting an answer of some sort. The archangel of valor was rigid, although he brought the butt of Solarion down to close the portal he had open. 

The entire situation was absurd. If this were thousands of years earlier, he would have been laughing and most likely joining Inarius in his torture of the demon, or growing angry over the petty insults and slaying him where he stood. Really, he should just leave the beast in Whimsydale to do what he pleased and forget about the demon entirely. 

“Demons do not serve archangels,” Imperius finally said, looking up at Rakanoth, “The fact I can…feel your kind or not, I cannot trust you. Not completely. No doubt you have learned ways of masking your true feelings when you are not overwhelmed with pain.”

“Then trust in my hatred of Mephisto, of knowing he took everything from me and I would not serve him again.” Rakanoth snarled, “Trust that I will rip apart your enemies with as much glee as any other. You are not entirely angelic anymore, Imperius and I have nothing left to lose,” Raknoth lowered his head, letting out a dark chuckle, “However, I have all to gain from this alliance.”

“You are mad if you are considering this fiends proposal.” Inarius snapped. 

“Sounds kind of suspicious to me,” Tevar murmured, “But if he is serious, I mean, that becomes a little bit of a secret weapon on our part. No one expects a demon to be working for Heaven…”  
Imperius stood there tense, musing over the whole situation and feeling like he wanted to laugh at how absurd it was and of how the world has changed so much that this sort of unbelievable alliance had been dropped at his feet. 

But, was it truly unbelievable if the whole birth of Sanctuary, of the Nepehelm, had been born of such an alliance between Heaven and Hell?

“You do not leave my sight, Rakanoth. Where I go, you will follow. Any movement, any little twitch that you make that I do not command, will be cause for me to leave you back in Inarius’s care, am I clear?” Imperius snapped. 

Rakanoth bowed his head, “Very much so, my lord.”

“This is insane.” Inarius snapped, “You can’t possibly expect the others to be fine with this or to trust that Rakanoth of all demons had a change of heart. You have completely-“

Imperius brought Solarion’s spear butt down against the ground, letting out a sudden surge of power, although it did no harm to those around. The resounding boom all but silenced Inarius as he took a step back as the archangel of valor rallied to his full impressive height, wings spread. 

“I have made my will known, Inarius. Last I checked, it is I that holds the throne of Heaven, unless you wish to challenge me for rule of Heaven!” ” 

There was a long moment of tension, the two staring each down. For the first time, Imperius felt a twist of something more obvious wrong Inarius, that surge of hatred that wasn’t directed at him, but at for the obstacle he provided. His corruption writhed, taking it in, translating it differently than an angel’s resonance would. 

He could feel the source of it, knowing that the other angel was just as susceptible to the corruptive hate as himself. Mephisto must have had such self-control not to sink his claws into Inairus and give birth to a new servant of hatred and madness in the former prisoner. It was perhaps a testament to how much he hated Inarius for what he had done to his taughter. The former prisoner tensed, before turning away, laughing.

“I am not so stupid to challenge your authority, Imperius. If you say the demons stands with us then it stands. You will hear no complaints from me, but what will the others say?” He said, his tone sarcastic, “I’m sure they will be most displeased at your mad decree.” 

“They will be given their say in the matter and I will not have it delayed.” Imperius retorted, “Go and summon them to the council chamber. The matter will be put to a vote.”

Inarius bowed his head, although the gesture had a mocking feel to it before he turned on his heels and left.   
Tevar watched him go, shaking his head, “…that was a power move and a half Imperius. Pulled the royal trump card on him.”

“He will whisper lies to the others, make it seem like you are mad, my lord.” Rakanoth growled, “Is it wise to let him be your messenger?”

“It matters little. They already think me mad.”

Tevar glanced up at the demon, “Won’t lie Imperius. I think you are a little mad right now too.”

“Would you rather me torture the demon?”

Tevar winced before giving a shake of his head, “…no. That was overkill. Makes us no better than the fucks we fight against,” He admitted, “But…how can you trust him?”

Imperius raised a hand to touch the corruption upon his chest, lightly trailing the claws now on his left hand over it, “This affliction upon my soul is a curse, a slow fall of my soul…but now…” he glanced up Rakanoth, “I’m starting to feel their resonance.”

The lord of despair chuckled, “It is strange to feel you Imperius. The hatred in your soul….but also such strange emotions. It is intriguing.”  
Something in the demon’s tone made Imperius doubt the demon was intrigued as much as he…seemed to want to be around the strange emotion that he did not wish to name. 

“So…you sort of getting the demon inner vibe there….” Tevar murmured, rubbing his chin, “Well, hey, if you are going for this, I’m going for this too. But uh, if he eats me-“

“If he so much as breaths at you wrong Tevar, I will remove his head and have it become acquainted with his rear.” Imperius promised. 

Tevar chuckled, “Thanks for the reassurance bro. But ah, I think Tyrael and Itherael are not going to like this. Especially with what happened yesterday.”

“They will not like it no,” Imperius tightened his grip on his spear, “But they cannot see what I did in that moment. What I felt. Tyrael claims that when he looked upon Heaven as a mortal, he saw the world differently, that he had insight that we lacked…and….and I think I finally understood what he saw.”

“Sounds like you had some sort of epiphany.”   
Imperius chuckled softly, “Maybe. Maybe I did.”

Rakanoth let out a low growl, “They will most likely attack you, Lord Imperius. If they do-“

“If they do, you will do absolutely nothing. You can sit there and watch them destroy me,” Imperius snapped, “But I highly doubt they will. Ithreael is not prone to sudden passions of violence, nor is Tyrael.” 

“Might think you are on a reckless journey of madness though.” Tevar grumbled as he moved to slip through the portal to leave Whimsydale. “What are you even going to tell them?”

Imperius’s grip tightened on his spear, considering Tevar’s words before speaking, making an effort to keep his tone level and his slight irritation in check. Tevar questioned him only out of a want to understand. No doubt the others would be questioning a lot more. He would need to keep calm. 

He had to keep calm.  
It was really unbecoming of a leader to want to leap so quickly to rage before counsel. 

“I will tell them the truth and I will say what should have been said a long time ago.” Imperius said as he stepped through the portal, returning once more to Heaven, “I truly have been a coward behind my throne, hiding behind my own weakness. I want to change that, even if that change takes what little of my life is left to live.”

Tevar blinked, looking between Imperius and then up to Rakanoth as the demon followed them through into Heaven, “Did you like, do something to him? He’s suddenly got more than two angry brain cells to rub together…”  
Imperius’s wings flared at the comment, but he merely grumbled under his breath as he looked away, shoulders hunched. He would not count himself a great scholar no. Especially when he felt a fool enough for it taking him this long to work his thoughts out of his own head and actually take a look around for once.   
Especially when just the other day he had been practically raving mad with the anger he didn’t want to fully admit was a flaw. 

“If I did anything to him, I would be in bloody pieces on the floor,” Rakanoth drawled before lifting his head as if he gazed about Heaven, “…your glorious Heaven seems to have become a rather dim light.”

“The light always returns.” Imperius, said tersely “Everyone passes in time.”

The archangel of valor stepped forward to put a hand upon Tevar’s shoulder before looking up at Rakanoth. “Follow me demon. I know you have the capability to teleport.”

Rakanoth cocked his head but nodded, “As you wish, my lord.

It took a thought to teleport all the way up to the council chamber where the Angiris Council once convened to discuss the state of creation and the day to day running of Heaven. Imperius had not stepped foot in the room since his return to Heaven as there had been no point. The chamber was as pristine as ever, the lofty thrones of the Angiris Council all around them. At one time, there had been but a single throne, the seat of power that Magtherius and the kings and queens of Heaven before him had occupied. It had been Malthael who had added other seats to the room, making it as a council between the hosts of Heaven, citing that the growth of Heaven needed more leadership than just one guiding head. 

A beautiful idea in theory, but even the council had needed its leader to bring guidance to their choices. Heaven still had needed its king to be the very heart to keep it together. Imperius glanced to Malthael’s throne, the throne of kings and queens, said to have been carved from Anu’s flesh by the first queen of angels, Marialiel. Its vacancy had been the first crippling shockwave through Heaven.   
The reverent peace was shattered by Rakanoth’s noisy arrival, the demon thundering to the ground hard enough to crack the pristine marble and cause Tevar to jump and let out a string of colorful curses. The demon merely cackled, sitting back on his haunches as he regarded Tevar with a wide smile, “Did I startle you mortal?”

“As much as Imperius does when he ports about,” Tevar huffed, although he moved to stay closer to Imperius, “Although you aren’t not as graceful on the landing.”

Rakanoth merely chuckled, “A mouthy mortal, aren’t you?”

“Listen, I will sass the lords of Hell all I want, even if Imperius isn’t standing right here. Sass is my natural defense,” Tevar said with a shrug, “But I got my eye on you. I’m expecting shenanigans from you.”

“I am not looking to die. Demons do not seek out their demise like idiots,” Rakanoth retorted, “My chances are ironically better with an angel than my own kin, especially after letting one of Mephisto’s little loinspawns be slaughtered by Imperius.”

“Odd, Mephisto told me that he did not care about them,” Imperius drawled. 

Rakanoth snorted, “The lord of hatred pretends to not care. He lets his hatred and wrath speak volumes to those that mess with what is his, be they family or ah…acquisitions.” 

Imperius had to hold back a shudder at the use of the word acquisition, his mind going back to what Mephisto had promised should he kill Tyrael. He also recalled Rakanoth admitting that Mephisto did indeed have angels he kept in his lair. It was a grim confirmation of his worse fears that there angels that remained in the grasp of the lord of hatred, doomed until salvation could be brought to them. If they managed ever to find Mephisto’s lair, Imperius vowed they would ransack the place and save every last one of them.

A sudden sharp buzz of alarm and anger jolted Imperius from his thoughts, glancing up as Itherael landed heavily within the chamber, wings spread wide in a display of threat and practically radiating alarm.

“So Inairus was not spinning wild lies! You actually…you actually brought the lord of despair here to Heaven! After what he did last time he was here!” 

Imperius tensed a bit, taking a small step back as he watched Itherael storm over towards him. He had never really seen the archivist this mad in all his life. Behind him, Inarius and Aladria followed enter, the former radiating a smug sort of energy while the latter looked on with a guarded curiosity. Tyrael was at the rear, leaning in the doorway and having the same tense and rather defensive posture at Itherael. 

The hostility in the room and tension was palpable and Imperius was more than aware he would have to tread carefully. It was to be a delicate step as if the floor itself was covered in Azomdan’s hellish mines.

The archangel of valor took a calming breath to swallow back the defensive anger that wanted to rise at Itherael’s words, forcing himself to be objective to their words. They all had a right to be upset after all. This was a demon they spoke of, one that had personal history with nearly everyone in the room save the mortals. It was not going to be an entirely easy affair to convince them to let the demon draw breath at all.  
Rakanoth shifted just a bit, baring his teeth, but did not move, holding to Imperius’s orders but there was that same uncertainty and fear resonating in him as well as the near constant morose despair as if the demon lord was already expecting everything to go wrong. 

The lack of hope the demon seemed to muster really was troubling. Honestly, Imperius wondered how the lord of despair managed to get anything done with how morose he seemed beneath his bluster. The archangel of valor shook his head, straightening his shoulders as he turned to regard Ithrael. 

“I thought we already told you he was here.” Imperius began with a cock of his head.

“But he was bound and locked away but now…” Itherael shook his head, “What madness has taken you Imperius that you would make an alliance with him or thin the foul beast would honor one?”

Imperius wanted to look away and pull back in, perhaps yell back that it didn’t matter the why and that they could trust the demon because he could feel it could be trusted. Instead he stood firm, meeting Itherael’s gaze and biting down the destructive anger that wanted to rise out of him, trying to steel himself and for once in his damnable existence, act like a proper leader. 

“Because, I could not stand by and watch him be tortured so I allowed him to go free. He chose to stay and swore loyalty to my service in order to combat Mephisto.” Imperius began slowly, “Something about my corrupted state has…allowed me a strange perspective Itherael. I can tell you now, your books that claim demons feel nothing and do not resonate between each other is a pack of filthy lies and trust me, it is a revolting and uncomfortable as it sounds to feel a demon.”

Itherael stiffened some before looking away, shaking his head, “Even so, of all demons, Rakanoth-“

“Was it not said that demons who become dissatisfied with the lord they serve may be coerced into the allegiance of others?”

“But not to an angel!” Itherael protested, “And since when have you cared about the torment of a demon!?”

Imperius raised a hand to touch the corruption upon his chest, “When I saw his torture and saw the same scene as yesterday, where one who could not fight back was being ripped apart and threatened….” He looked down, “I saw what my own evil looked like and I have vowed…no more will suffer like that. No one else, demon or angel, will be subjugated to that type of torment, not while I hold the throne.”   
“Those are noble words, Imperius, but forgive me if I doubt them entirely.”

Tyrael’s words were like ice and Imperius stiffened. He looked up to where the archangel of justice stood, still wavering on his feet and baring the still healing scars of yesterday. Even now, Imperius could see the jagged wounds where he tore his forming claws through the metal in an effort to cause more harm.

It was a horrific sight, one that had shame well up inside him, but with it, came a sense of acceptance of what he had done as well as a burst of stubborn valor that this time, he would find a way to change his ways and learn to control himself.  
But he could not change alone.  
Imperius stared at Tyrael before lowering his head.

He let go of Solarion and once more let the spear fall to the ground with a clatter. For the past day he had played out this scene over and over in his head, all the things he wanted to say, all the words that did not seem right. None of it still seemed right, but that was not for him to decide. 

He wasn’t apologizing to himself after all. 

He was apologizing to all of them, his people. The souls that he had been tasked with defending and keeping from harm since the moment of his ascension to the rank of archangel. 

Imperius fell to his knees before bowing forward, prostrating himself before them, letting go over the burn of pride that found the gesture humiliating to his core. It was a burn he deserved to feel, to remember that humility was one of the virtues of Heaven that were held so dear.   
“They are noble words, but you are right, they are just words. Words I have said before and have constantly gone back on. They are the same words I spoke when I swore to uphold the virtues of Heaven back when I was ordained an archangel by Lord Magtherius.” His hands clenced against the floor, “They are virtues I have forgotten for I have been wrathful and foolish. I have let hatred take me and have done little to try and combat it. I have been blind and selfish, and have not been compassionate or understanding towards any of you. I have been…everything that a lord of Heaven should not be.”

The hatred in him churned, despising every moment of this, pride wanting him to stand up tall and tell them to trust in him, but another part of him, a burning anger of a different kind, the core of righteous fury that made valor kept him kneeling. 

If he was to fix the mess he made, he had to let go of everything he had left. 

“I will keep no more secrets,” He began, lifting his head and gestured towards Rakanoth, “my corruption has made me more akin to the foul creatures of Hell and I can…feel them. In the past I would agree that pain and torture and death were perhaps too good for them but…I pity him. I pity his situation, trapped and lashing out like a mad beast… like I have been doing for years.”

It had been like looking into a mirror at himself, seeing INarius’s cruelty as his own over the years towards Tyrael. How it always seemed to peak into violence. 

He shook his head, “I have been no better than the fiends I’ve fought. I did not want to see or even listen to what you told me for years. You were right Tyrael. We were meant for more than just this conflict that we have created and escalated to a fever pitch. We are more than just death and violence, anger and vengeance… we….we need to stop the cycle.” 

Imperius tensed, bowing his head again, “I ask that you trust me in letting Rakanoth live. He will serve under me and all that he does will be a reflection upon me. I will bear the weight of this choice, however, if you wish him banished or killed and that is the will of this council, then I will see it done, but I will not justify any more violence be done towards him at our hands.” 

“But what you did to me….is that justified violence?”

Tyrael’s question was cold, without a hint of mercy to it but Imperius did not flinch, did not let the guilt rise up in him, nor the anger that felt like Tyrael was not taking his humility seriously. The archangel had every right to dismiss him for what he done. There was no changing that.

There was only accepting what was. 

“No. What I did was without reason and nothing more than a beast lashing out because I did not want to accept the truth or listen to anyone. I blamed you for my own short-comings and my own short-sightedness for so long” Imperius responded, clenching both his hands against his knees, “I do not beg your forgiveness, Tyrael, that is yours to give as you see fit, but I ask you to trust that I have not gone mad completely. Trust in me to always do what I feel is right for Heaven.”

Tyrael was silent as he regarded Imperius. He did not speak for a long time, looking away. His shoudlers sagged then, a tired sigh escaping him as he shook his head.  
“You are infuriating Imperius. You act without thinking, never giving thought to others, and go about your own path as if it is the only one there is. Time after time you have been cruel and you have rebuked me and always have caused more harm than good when in the throughs of your pasions,” Tyrael paused, giving a shake of his head as he stalked over towars Imperius, “But if there is one thing I can’t fault you for Imperius, the one saving grace for all your awful flaws…is that you are still the most honest and earnest angel in all of Heaven.” 

Imperius looked up at Tyrael, not sure if he was to be offended re relieved, instead settling for simply bowing his head again, “I’m sorry Tyrael… my words may mean little, given the seriousness of my crime but-“  
Tyrael let out a more aggravated sigh, moving over and grabbing Imperius roughly by the arm “Get on your feet. No one in Heaven need grovel for forgiveness” the archangel of justice grumbled, “And I would like to remain at your sorry existence still for a while more.” 

The move confused Imperius and he looked at Tyrael who did not look back, continuing to avoid eye contact as he hauled the archangel of valor to his feet once more, “I do forgive you Imperius. I know of your condition and …I was provoking you out of my own spite. But you did go too far.”

Tyrael paused to fix Imperius with a long stare, wings flaring out, “And if you ever think you can lay hands on me again like that, if you lose your mind to go that far again, I promise, I will not hesitate to use El’druin to cleave your head from your shoulders.”

Imperius let out a quiet laugh, “If I do that again, I beseech you to put me out of my misery for I am then truly lost.”

“This is all well and good and your speech was…inspiring but it does not change the fact Rakanoth is still here.” Itherael growled out, “I have not forgotten what he did in Heaven and the carnage he unleashed on my host!”

“And I have not forgotten what you have done to my plains of despair in conflicts past, archangel, or to my servants,” Rakanoth growled back.

“And there is the matter of the torment of my lieutenant.” Tyrael drawled, stepping away from Imperius to fix the demon with a hostile stare. 

Rakanoth tilted his head, “Izual could have gone back to Heaven. I did not tell him to return to Hell to be reborn a demon.” The lord of despair retorted, his tone oddly defensive, “And if it pleases you, Izual is truly gone now, his soul devoured by Mephisto when he refused to bend a knee to his control….” 

Imperius felt a sharp hatred coming off Rakaoth, mixed with an intense despair that the others were not privy to. A terrible sadness seemed to fill the lord of despair at the mention of Izual which had the archangel of valor tilting his head, curious, but for now, not inquiring further of the demon. 

“I do not ask you to accept Rakanoth here or to open your arms to him as a brother in arms. I certainly am not.” Imperius growled, “But these humans we seek to attack, they will expect us and will have weapons designed to fight an angel.”

“But not a demon.” Tyrael murmured, “And they would not suspect angels of working with demons.”

Itherael shifted, arms still crossed tight across his chest, “I do not like this at all. Allegiance between Heaven and Hell-“

“Have happened before.” Aladria interjected softly, “Or I and Tevar wouldn’t exist, nor would all of humanity. And the ancient text of Heaven’s history well…there are implications there that your ancestors at times got along with demons for short spells.”

The archangel of fate looked over to Aladria before looking away, giving a stiff nod, “…that is not untrue. Our…very ancient ancestors often shared space with demons. Before the conflict escalated. There were even murmurs of demons eventually reborn as angels due to deeds that the arch considered redemption of their dark ways. All speculation and legends but as Aladria put it,” He let out a deep sigh, shoulders slumping, “there are implications.” 

“I will not lie and say I enjoy this arrangement,” Rakanoth growled, “But the path of survival and vengeance will go where it pleases. I believe a mutual hatred for Mephisto is more than enough. I served him as there were no alternatives for me other than death…and I vowed I would work to undo him for what he took from me.”

“It is a strange turn of events.” Tyrael said, looking between the demon, Imperius, and then over at Inarius, “And it does not sit well with everyone.”

“Imperius made it clear that he cares little for my opinion.” Inarius drawled, “I have been nothing but patient and kind towards him-“

“And you have done nothing but tell me that I should pick you over Tyrael and we should become a pair of flighty fledglings in love,” Imperius interrupted. “Need I repeat some of the things you have said about the others for all to hear?” 

Tyrael glanced over at his brother and there was a slight ripple of irritation and his wings gave a small flick, but he did not respond to the comments made. Inarius for his part fell silently, looking away with a rather tense set to his shoulders.   
Aladria sighed, shaking her head before looking up at Imperius, “….and I’m still mad at you for not telling me about the corruption thing but…I guess I can see why you didn’t tell me. But… but no more secrets all right?” she said, pointing a finger at him, “We are in this together and we are going to start being more honest about things!”

Imperius nodded, “No more secrets…”

Tevar smirked, “Only the not so important secrets right Imperius? About your past crushes? Your feelings for certain people?”

The archangel of valor’s wings started to flutter and if looks could kill, Tevar no doubt would have burst into flames, “Those are not secrets that will determine life or death!” 

Aladria quirked an eyebrow, smirking just a bit, “But you said no more secrets Imperius,” She said in a sing-song voice.

Imperius tensed before he leaned forward, crossing his arms over his chest, “In that case, why don’t you tell me why you were chafing and what Inarius and Tevar meant by you sheathing Itherael’s sword hm!?” he retorted. 

Imperius heard Itherael make a choking sound and look away, as if he wanted to be anywhere but in the room at that time and Aladria’s bravado quickly turned to flustered embarrassment. Rakanoth was making a wheezing sound as he pressed his jaw against one of his arms, trying desperately not to laugh. 

It only confirmed to Imperius that it was something terribly lewd if a demon of all things knew what was being said and finding it hilarious. 

Tyrael’s wings spread some, looking over towards the two, tilting his head slowly, “Itherael, brother did you….”

“This is not a discussion for the topic at hand.” Itherael said quickly. “Nor a discussion either will ever have, Tyrael!” \

Tyrael raised both his hands and took a step back at the sharp tone used by the flustered archangel of fate and Aladria just buried her face in her hands, shaking her head, “Can we just…focus on the demon in the room?”

“Right. Demon. I say he can stay. He just follows Imperius around.” Tevar said with a shrug, “Might be useful to have. I mean, we don’t really have the ranks to say no to any help we can get.”

“I say no.” Inarius said flatly. 

Tyrael was silent, looking towards Rakanoth and then to Imperius before looking away, “I will vote yes.” He said at length, “I do not like it, but the mortal is right: we don’t have the numbers to refuse what little help we have. Not to mention…there is little here in Heaven he could report to Mephisto or any fellow demon that is of any particular use.”  
“Other than Itherael’s sex life…” Tevar said under his breath before wincing as Aladria elbowed him hard.

Itherael stiffened for a moment, fixing Tevar with a look before glancing to Rakanoth,“I want to say no, but…tactically, he would be a weapon against the humans that hunt us, one they wouldn’t expect…. But know that I say yes only out of necessity and as soon as it is prudent, I would much prefer the foul demon to be anywhere but in Heaven” he paused before pointing at Imperius, “And if you come to the library of fate, he waits outside for you to leave. He does not set one dirty claw in my library again!”   
“Your request will be honored Itherael,” Imperius said with a bow of his head. 

“You are all going mad.” Inarius snapped.

“Ironic of you to protest given that out of everyone in the room, you are the one who slept with the lord of hatred’s own demonic daughter,” Tyrael drawled.

“Lilith was nothing like these demons.” Inarius responded sharply. “And I do not want to hear you speak ill of her in my presence brother, less I question your absolute lack of love life and how the only fledglings you ever had were the ones you adopted from Malthael because he couldn’t be damned to care about his one-night stand little mistakes!” 

Tyrael’s wings fluttered a bit and his shoudlers tensed. Tevar just arched an eyebrow slowly before glancing to Imperius who did not make any comment. Really the comments were in very poor taste, especially given that they were not one-night stand lightsongs as implied, and more Malthael having trouble with relationships, even more so when he couldn’t really complete a lightsong. 

Even more so that Malthael had asked Tyrael to take care of his fledglings as the archangel of wisdom felt he would not be able to handle the task and would bring some sort of shame to the two he managed to manifest.   
The archangel of valor could tell nitpicking at each other’s relationships was a sure way to ruin what unity they were starting finally cobble together. 

“How about we do not speak of anyone’s relationship and focus instead on what to do now.” Imperius interjected, stepping forward, “We have Itherael’s information, what little there is, but it is the best we have. We have the pieces in place. Now, we should plan our next move.”

“Maybe we might actually get through the planning session without yelling at each other even,” Tevar said with a chuckle.  
Tyrael glanced briefly towards Imperius before looking away, “Perhaps. We shall see.”

Itherael sighed before turning away, “I say we move to the war room. I have a few maps we can go over. I’ve managed to lift a few more things from this internet, between all the ah, questionable material there is.”

“Didn’t take long to find your first naughty site eh?” Tevar teased. 

The archangel of fate folded his hands together, “If that was all I saw, that would have been a blessing in of itself,” He drawled, “I really, sincerely question the taste of some of you mortals…”   
Aladria cringed, “You and me both. I’m just glad you’ve picked up coding quickly enough to ah, shutter some of that content.” 

“Reading the code of these machines is far simplier than unraveling fate I’m finding.” Itherael said, “But regardless, if I keep prodding, I’m sure I can get my way into the database this human organization is using to learn more about this reaper project they are guarding so closely.” 

Inarius shook his head, “I can’t believe all of you are just…accepting a demon into our ranks just like that! Just…trusting him on his word because Imperius claims he can feel the demon’s intent now! Does this not sound insane to any of you?” 

“I say it is sort of poetic,” Tevar retorted, “We got angels, we got mortals, now we got a demon. It is like all factions of the world, coming together to form a super team!”

Aladria gave a small shrug, “…it’s a change, but not all change is bad right? And I trust in Imperius to kill the demon if he tries anything.”  
Rakanoth sighed, moving to slump further closer to the ground, “At the very least, listening to you all talk about how you wish to kill me will help me to hold my title…” He growled, shaking his head. 

Imperius gave a shrug, “We will see if you prove yourself enough to redeem yourself.”  
The demon scoffed, “The day I redeem myself, as you say and accept anything of your pitiful Heaven is the day I become a part of your host, Imperius,” He sneered, “I am working under you, but do not mistake this for a permanent agreement. One day I will betray you.”

“And I look forward to it with baited breath,” IMperius returned, retrieving Solarion.   
He looked over the weapon that had long served at his side as he raised a hand to idly touch the corruption on his chest. Things were still broken, there was still tension, but for now, things seemed peaceful, just enough for him to have a bit more hope that maybe he could repair the damage. 

He allowed himself a sliver of happiness within his soul, an emotion that leaked out towards Rakanoth, causing the lord of despair to tilt his head, looking almost uncomfortable at the new emotion that was being shared. 

Imperius paid little attention to the reaction, focusing instead on the slight lift of spirits in the room. 

He allowed himself a chuckle.

At least, for now, they could maybe work together long enough, to take the next step forward together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....this chapter was not meant to be as emotionally charged as it ended up being. Not going to lie, the characters went and did some different things than intended. 
> 
> Did you know, Rakanoth was suppose to come back in like....many chapters back but it kept getting pushed because it never felt RIGHT. I feel where it happened gives the whole moment more importance and well...helps to build up more world.
> 
> Next chapter though begins the next arch. The last of the bridge chapters are completed!


	19. At the Break of Dawn

Time always seemed to slow to a crawl in the days of preparation that proceeded an engagement, especially those that held a promise of conflict. Each day that passed in meetings about how to handle the attack on this new enemy’s stronghold, each argument and compromise that was slowly formed, had Imperius feeling more and more on edge. Not a day went by without some new angle being drafted or some new threat considered and the process seemed to start all over again. Especially given that this battle was more or less unknown territory for all at the table as it was still largely unclear what this mortal group was capable of or what new weapons they may have hidden.  
It was day upon day of strategy where Imperius had remained largely quiet, listening attentively of course, but knowing that no matter much planning they completed, that there was only one gurantee to be had: that something would go wrong and they would have to adapt fast.  
No matter what Ithereal and Inarius managed to concoct between their arguing or what Tyrael manage to force in terms of compromises, chaos was a natural part of battle and only valor could act swiftly enough to adapt to whatever changes would unfold.  
That was his place in the strategy and frankly, he did not have the patience for preparation admittedly. That had been Itherael and Malthael’s domain. He trained the mortals and honed his own abilities in preparation for the assault, keeping himself busy with movement and trying to temper Rakanoth’s more impulsive, vile habits.   
Still, despite the drag of time, the day had finally arrived that they had agreed to make their move. Dawn was breaking over Heaven, promising a new day and Imperius could only grip Solarion tighter as he stalked towards the final rendezvous point before they began the assault properly. His entire being radiated with restless anticipation of what to come, and he quickly found himself shuffling as he walked, practically hopping from foot to foot, as if already he could smell the carnage and glory of battle so close at hand. The very reason he had chosen to walk at all was to try and shed some of that energy before they attacked, if only to temper his own fervor and desire to charge brashly ahead.

Cooler heads were better for combat after all, and the weeks of preparation were necessary for their attack to end in victory, that Imperius knew.  
It did not make him like the long wait any less nor cause him to feel like he was going to burst if they did not see some action soon.  
“You seem anxious, my lord.”

Imperius’s steps faltered a minute as he glanced back at the demon lord that had been trailing his steps. Since his release, Rakanoth had not strayed far from Imperius, as per his orders, but Imperius was still getting used to having someone always at his heels. The demon was far more chatty than he had anticipated and far more prone, he found, to speaking his mind.  
For a moment, the archangel regarded Rakanoth before giving a shake of his head and looking away, “No. I am not anxious. I am not worried about the battle to come. What will come, but I am not anxious about it.”  
Imperius started to walk again, once more doing the nearly dance-like shuffle as he moved forward, wings stretching and fluttering with a loud hum, “I am merely looking forward to battle and to be doing something more than merely talking.” 

Rakanoth tilted his head as he tracked the movement of the angel, “Will it be much of a battle though?” the demon asked, “These are only mortals and this is no grand open battle like the past, but more some minor strike.”

 

“It will not be like the wars of the past, but yes, it is a battle.” Imperius retorted, pausing in his half dance shuffle, stretching his wings up before leaping a bit, landing on one foot, balancing primly, “But it is a battle of its own kind nonetheless and the mortals have proven to be able to hold their own.” 

The demon lord gave a small toss of his head, teeth bared a bit more, “I just hope they provide some entertainment. It has been dull listening to the others prattle on. Inarius especially seems to like the sound of his own voice.”

Imperius did his best to hold back a snort of amusement as he continued to jump about, his movements become more smooth and purposeful as he subconsciously nearly broke out into a full on war dance. It was habit really. The energy before battle had the angels of valor always on edge and eager to leap forward. The dancing was a way to get out some of the tension and energy to allow the head to become more level. 

He hadn’t even realizing he was so close to a dance until loud thumps caused him to jump, looking back at Rakanoth who was now starting to copy his movements with a curious tilt of his head. Imperius snorted, wings fluttering a bit as he crossed his arms. 

“You don’t have to copy me.”

“It looked fun.” Rakanoth commented with a shrug, “You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”  
The archangel of valor let out a huff, looking away with an embarrassed tremor to his wings, “...I was.”  
“Then why did you stop?”  
Imperius did not answer back, grumbling under his breath before starting to stalk forward, wings arched and his resonance giving a small hum of embarrassment. The demon snorted and gave a few heavy hops forward, still imitating what Imperius was doing earlier and Imperius nearly turned around to snap at the demon when a voice from the causeway above halted the tirade he was about to unleash.

“What is all the banging around about?”

Imperius glanced up to see Tevar and Aladria approaching the railing, both mortals wearing their full armor. Tevar had an eyebrow arched curiously as he leaned against the railing, looking down at the archangel and the demon, “And aren’t you two taking the long way around or something to the library?”

“Imperius was dancing and I was trying to copy.” Rakanoth said before letting out a yelp as Imperius gave him a hard punch in the side.  
“The demon speaks only lies,” Imperius growled, “And I was taking my time to...burn off some energy less I dive head first into the battle.”

Aladria blinked, looking confused before shaking her head, “Well, it is good to see you in higher spirits. You’ve been awfully quiet of late,” her eyes narrowed some, “You aren’t keeping secrets are you?”

“Only the secrets of his dance ability,” Tevar said with a grin, “Too bad we didn’t get her sooner to see! I still can’t see Imperius as someone flexible enough in all that armor to pull off moves.”

Imperius huffed again, wings flaring as he glowered up at the mortal man, “Spare me your smart quips, brother.”

“If I do, I’m dead broperius.” Tevar responded, blowing him a kiss, a move that had Rakanoth cackling. The demon lord though went silent when Imperius glanced sharply his way, busying himself with looking elsewhere with a small click of his teeth.   
Aladria shook her head, pausing only to fiddle with her breastplate with a huff, “The three of you are becoming rather thick as thieves...”  
“Not my fault that a demon appreciates my humor a bit more than some people.” Tevar drawled, glancing to Aladria, “And are you still fidgeting with your armor? I thought you had Imperius adjust it!”

“He did.” she grumbled, “But it still feels like it is rubbing my chest raw something awful...”

Imperius tilted his head at her words before vanishing and appearing up on the balcony beside the two mortals. He approached Aladria, eying the breastplate before stepping behind her to start fiddling with the straps, “If the adjustments haven’t worked, it may need refitted. Odd that it fit well before though. I did not think mortals had any sort of growth in their adulthood.”

“Maybe it is a nephelem thing?” Tevar asked before jumping as Rakanoth landed heavily behind him, “Fucking- Rakanoth! Do you do that just to get a jump out of me!?”  
The demon snickered, tilting his head almost innocently, “Doing what, Tevar? I am only following my lord.”

Imperius sighed, shaking his head at the two as he unhooked the straps of Aladria’s breastplate, “Is it too lose or too tight?”

“Too tight. Makes my chest feel like it is being tenderized.” she grumbled, cheeks flushing.   
The archangel nodded, starting to loosen the straps, doing a few tugs to help it sit right, giving a small shake of his head, “When we return, I’ll see about refitting you. I can’t loosen it too much more without it slipping right off your chest.”

“I would say could I go without it, but pretty sure that wouldn’t be wise given people will be firing guns at us,” She said with a sigh, “But thank you for trying to make it feel better Imperius.”

He gave a hum of acknowledgement as he stepped back, looking back to Rakanoth and Tevar as he summoned Solarion back to his hand, “Have either of you seen Tyrael or Inarius?”

“Saw Tyrael at breakfast, devouring a pig’s worth of bacon.” Tevar said with a shrug, “But he was quick to flit off to the library to have a few last minute discussions with Itherael. Inarius I think was already at the library, probably having a few more spats with our resident IT archangel.”

Imperius gave a nod before turning on his heels, starting to head towards the library, “Then we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“You sure you don’t want to break out a dance for us?” Tevar asked with a grin, “Aladria and I can be your back-up dancers!”

The archangel of valor responded by lashing out a wing to lightly bap against Tevar, shaking his head with another loud huff, a slight rise of heat to his helmet and over the corruption on his form. Rakanoth just snickered lightly, lifting up his arms to press what served as his wrists against his maw, something the demon tended to do when he was trying not to laugh.  
Tevar gave a roll of his eyes, shaking is head before quickly following after Imperius, grumbling under his breath. Aladria merely sighed, although she was trying her best to hide a smile as they approached the library of fate.  
Imperius stormed through the archway and into the archives of the library, arching his wings as he raised his voice to be heard, “Itherael! Are you-“  
The archangel of valor let out a sudden yelp as he stepped back, his instincts all that saved him from behing hit by the archangel of fate as the former rolled by in an office chair, legs outstretched before him and his wings flapping to more or less speed him along in his chair. Imperius’s sudden cry caused the archangel of fate lto look up and bring his legs down to stop the movement of the office chair. He ducked his head sheepishly, raising a hand up to remove the earbuds he was wearing and move to close the laptop balanced on his lap. 

“Ah, Imperius. Sorry. I didn’t see you or ah…hear you either at first.”

“It is fine...” Imperius murmured, eyeing the chair, “Having fun again?”  
Ithreael ducked his head again before lifting up his legs, tucking the laptop under one arm, and starting to send himself rolling off across the main promenade of the library, “Just a bit anxious I suppose. I think everyone is on edge about today. “He paused in his rolling to tilt his head, “You are later here than expected though Imperius. I was sure you would be here all night pacing.”  
“I spent the night training. I did not want to disturb your library.” Imperius responded.

Aladria chuckled walking a bit faster to catch up with Itherael before moving to slide into his lap, “Guess we are all trying to cope with the nerves in our own ways dear.”  
The archangel of fate didn’t miss a beat, wrapping one arm about her securely as he started to give a few more powerful flaps of his wings, practically launching him and his roller chair backwards faster, chuckling softly, “I suppose so. Inarius has, at least been rather withdraw today and not wanting to pick a fight.”

Tevar rolled his eyes as the two rolled off, hands on his hips, “So he gives Aladria a ride on his rolling chair, but we all have to walk.”

“I recall that you and him were racing those wheeled chairs about the library of fate the other day and you nearly sent yourself off the edge of Heaven had not Tyrael been there to catch you,” Imperius drawled, “And that is why we only have one left.”

Tevar dipped his head sheepishly, giving a shrug, “Eh, minor details.” He said before darting forward after the pair on the wheeled chair as it made its way towards where Itherael had built his new computer.

The library of fate was more back to its formal glory at least, the mess of the past few weeks nearly completely put away now and everything re-organized to Itherael’s liking. It no longer looked forgotten or worn, but far more lively and lived in as it had been before Imperius’s fall. Yet, it was still different, especially near the back of the library where one of the alcoves once used as a lecture hall had been converted to a huge room of wires and screens.  
The whole apparatus loomed over everything and the screen itself was a leering massive, glowing window that was filled with smaller screens and hundreds of running code that Imperius couldn’t begin to make sense of. There was hums and murmurs from the machine with an occasional chime as different programs finished whatever they were doing, only to start up again with another process. 

Itherael rolled to a slow halt before the large console that sat in front of the large computer, letting Aladria slide out of his lap before turning around, “I’ve been running programs all morning in preparation for getting into their systems and making sure all the tech you’ll be bringing is working. Tyrael is doing final check on the communication devices we will be using.” They said as they began to crack their knuckles, “Everything is running smoothly though so far. The heat sinks you created are working like a charm.”  
Imperius gave a brief nod, stepping up beside Itherael as the archangel of fate began to race his fingers over the keys before him, “I see. That is good, yes?”  
Itherael chuckled, “Very good,” they said, although their gaze was fixed on the screen and reading the symbols that flashed across it, tapping in a few more data points, “Only trouble we will have is when their cyber security most likely will start pushing back against me and I’ll have to read and make corrections to the code.” 

Imperius glanced at the archangel of fate, unable to hold back a small chuckle and give a shake of his head. Itherael was reading a different kind of fate now perhaps in the plethora of mortal data that he had gained access, perhaps seeing more than the scrolls had ever been able to reveal. It was just good to see him with something to apply his skill to once more and find a new purpose for his aspect beyond the scrolls.

“I won’t lie though. Hacking their systems is not going to be easy,” Ithrael murmured, fingers flying over the keys, “They have a lot of isolated systems. I can at least crack their outer security grid without issues and get you through the upper portion of their base.”

“But what about when we get deeper in?” Tevar asked, coming over to watch Itherael work, “We will need your cyber back-up then as well.”

“Tyrael knows what to do.” Itherael said, not looking away from his work, “A wireless transmitter put into a terminal should allow me to bounce the signal from one system to another and gain access and I’ve got sup-programs created and trained to handle mining data from their files and finding the key systems for me to occupy to best help you.”

“It is kind of amazing how quickly you’ve picked this up in only a few weeks,” Tevar murmured with a shake of his head, “It would take mortals a lot longer.”

“I don’t need to sleep and do not suffer mental fatigue.” Itherael paused with a small chuckle, “Also a photographic memory can do wonders in memorizing data and facts. All this human coding is simply remembering the correct order of symbols. Like speaking a language. Once you know the language, you can adapt it to your needs.”  
Tevar snorted, “So pretty much you’re a savant when it comes to learning new skills.”  
“Not all new skills. Just ones based in logic and language,” Itherael responded with a chuckle, pausing to pull his headphones over to plug into a small jack to the side, “This coding is not unlike unlocking the secrets within the scrolls of fate.” 

“Where is Tyrael?” Imperius interrupted, glancing about, “I was told he came here to speak with you?”

“I’m here. As Itherael said, I was doing last minute checks on our own equipment.” 

Imperius glanced over as Tyrael alighted nearby, carrying strange devices in hand, “It would not do us any good to have these headsets not work when we are in the middle of battle and need Itherael’s immediate guidance after all. We can at least go in knowing everything is in working order.”

“Headsets?” Imperius murmured, looking at the strange devices. 

“Communication devices.” Tevar explained, stepping forward to take one from Tyrael and slip it on over his head and secure it under the hood he wore, “We can talk to one another over long distance and pass along information without the need for shouting. Also lets Itherael talk to us from Heaven and give details.” 

Itherael chuckled, “I’ll be your eyes in the sky, as Tevar keeps putting it. I’ll be able to ease your way in by getting through the security firewalls. I’ll be able to open doors and of course, I’ll be using their own camera feeds to monitor what their movements are as well.”  
“And we can continue to coordinate if we need to separate once inside,” Tyrael added, moving to hand one to Imperius, “We will have an advantage in strategy as Itherael can relay new information quickly to all of us.”   
The archangel of valor took the headset before starting to try and work it on, grumbling as it caught on his halo more than once. Tevar chuckled, stepping forward to reach up and help him get it on, shaking his head, “Maybe take the halo off this time?”

“I can’t take it off! It is part of me! Can you take off your head?” Imperius huffed. 

“Hey, I figured it was an aesthetic thing since only you and Inarius have one.” Tevar said with a shrug.

Itherael shook their head, leaning back in their chair, tenting their fingers in front of them, “All angel fledglings are born with halos or partial halos, although most will lose theirs within a few days of creation. Those that maintain them though, often have them grow rather elaborately. Complete halos like Imperius’s are rather rare.” the scholar chuckled some, “We often say those with halos always have a spirit of youth in them.”  
Imperius huffed, fiddling with the headphone as Tevar snickered, “Ah, so it is like keeping your baby teeth eh?”  
“Can we not discuss this?” Imperius hissed, “We have other things to worry about.”  
Aladria nodded as she slipped her own on, “Yeah. Got a life and death tangle with a secret vigilante group right?”

“More or less.” Tevar said, glancing up as Inarius waltzed in, “And late as always it seems!”  
Inarius gave a small shrug, hands clasped behind his back, “I don’t like to disappoint with being fashionably late. I take it everyone is about ready to go?”  
“Just about.” Tyrael responded, handing his brother one of the remaining headsets, “The only one that needs one is well…. Rakanoth.” he glanced towards the lord of despair who was, at least this time, permitted in the library, although he kept in the doorway away from Itherael.   
The scholar had caught the demon poking his head into the room once before and had shown how wicked his aim with a thrown scroll could be. Rakanoth had quickly learned that it was best to not bother Itherael, especially when the archangel of fate made it no secret how much he dislike the hulking demon.  
Tyrael’s wings stiffened a bit but he marched up to the demon, holding out the headphones, barely containing his disdain for the demon, “I suppose it is best to give one to him too…”  
The lord of despair tilted his head before looking down at his lack of hands and then to the headset before letting out a sigh and lowering his head, “If you want me to wear your device, you will need to put it on, if such a small thing even fits.”  
Tevar shook his head with a sigh as he took the remaining headset from Tyrael and came up to the demon, starting to try and fit it over Raknoth’s large head, “Honestly, how do you get by in life, Rakanoth, without fucking hands? Putting you in a room with a door handle would more or less spell your doom.”

The demon lord snorted, although he lowered his head, “I don’t need hands in Hell….and I have a perfectly long tongue.” 

“That’s what she said.”

Rakanoth responded with a cackle, licking his tongue out as if to prove his point. Aladria let out a groan, running a hand over her face, “It is somewhat jarring to see how well you are getting along with a lord of Hell Tevar...”  
“I don’t call it getting along if we have a similar standard of quality humor,” Tevar responding back, “And he’s been good! I’ve been grilling up all sorts of meats to help him get on a less mortal based diet!”  
“He is still a demon, corrupted to the core and has slaughtered legions,” Tyrael growled, “Do not forget that.”

Tevar huffed, “I’m not, but I thought we are trying to reform him or something!”  
Rakanoth snorted, giving a click of his teeth, wincing as Tevar tried to jam the headset on with little success, “I am not looking to reform. I serve because I wish to see Mephisto suffer and nothing more. Do not read into it.”   
“So you say!” Tevar grunted before shaking his head and stepping back, “Think we will have to use word of mouth with Rakanoth. This is not going on.”   
“I’ll issue his commands then,” Imperius said, crossing his arms, “Short commands should be able to convey what is needed without secreacy.”  
The archangel of valor turned to look over to Itherael, “Are you ready on your end?”

“I am.” the scholar paused before letting out a soft sigh, “I still don’t think the mortals should go. So much could go wrong and they are not…well, they are not as hardy as their ancestors, let alone us.”

Aladria smiled gently, stepping over to gently wrap an arm about Itherael’s shoulders, “You can guide from afar, but I’ll guide in the field. I’ve been training for this and I’m needed for support in many key parts of the plan. Don’t worry, I’ll make it back safe and sound and I’ll make sure Tevar keeps out of trouble.”

“What are you talking about?” Tevar huffed, “I’m keeping all of you out of trouble and making sure your ass gets back safe for your significant other so you can celebrate victory in a night of passion!”  
Aladria flushed, shooting Tevar a glare that would have caused Diablo himself to shiver in fear. Tevar merely looked away holding up his hands, “Fine, fine. I’ll shut up about you two.”

Itherael only chuckled softly, raising his own hand to touch hers, “Just come back safely. I think the libraries would be less for the presence your smile brings.”

Inarius made a slight gagging sound before hissing in pain as Tyrael gave a sharp tug to one of his wings. Imperius just looked away, clearing his throat as he felt he was intruding on something of a private moment, more and more aware that the two scholars were becoming rather...exclusive in their relationship. 

“Let us be on our way then.” Imperius murmured. “We have dallied enough.”

“Is everyone’s headset working?” Tyrael asked, tapping the side of his own. “I’d rather sort that out now rather than later.”

“All clear here.” Tevar said with a sigh. “Just hoping everything goes as planned.”  
“It rarely does.” Imperius murmured, grip tightening about Solarion, “But whatever happens, if we all do what we can and fate is kind, we will come out victorious against our enemies.” 

Rakanoth bared his fangs and clashed his bladed arms together, “I will do my part. I will slaughter the humans where they stand. None will impede our march.”

There was a slight air of discomfort at the words of the demon, especially from Aladria who pursed her lips in obvious displeasure. After a moment, she stepped forward towards Rakanoth, hands on her hips like a scolding mother about to tell off an unruly child, “You don’t have to kill anyone you know. We don’t have to make this some bloodbath.”  
“If they dare to attack me or those my lord says to protect, then I will kill them. There is nothing complicated about this. We don’t have to apply morals to combat against an enemy,” Rakanoth growled. “They would kill us without a second thought. Why grant them any mercy? Explain that mortal.”

Imperius’s grip tightened for a moment on his spear. It had been a point of contention during the meetings that Rakanoth may prove too bloodthirsty and out of control to be of proper use despite the demon claiming otherwise. Especially with Aladria who had been silently fuming on the issue and the fact that no one had really addressed it. It was no secret the mortal scholar was not fond of bloodshed, let along combat even when there was no diplomatic option, but so far, her requests of keeping violence to a minimum had been deemed easy enough to accommodate. In regards to Rakanoth though, the most that had been discussed was Inarius writing it off as a necessary thing and that in the end, the mortals were enemies and if they wanted to throw their lives away for their organization, then it was what was to be done.  
The claim had not sat well with Imperius, but for the life of him, he was not sure how to convince a demon with already questionable loyalty to not rampage when it was in his very nature to slaughter any threat to their own survival.

It seemed now though that Aladria wasn’t going to take this sitting down and would make her own attempt at tacking the problem. There was a mortal stubbornness in her body language as she raised a finger to waggle at the demon, glaring slightly, “Any demon can kill a mortal. Doesn’t make you all that impressive in my eyes.” She drawled, “You talk about how you are the lord of despair and how you’ve been in countless battles and are so powerful, but I would say if you are, and if you are truly the bringer of despair, then you wouldn’t kill anyone no, but you would just cause them harm enough to increase their despair and linger in their mind as a constant fear for the rest of their lives.”

The scholar gave a shrug and a dismissive flick of her head, “That seems more impressive to me at least, but go ahead and kill them like any common demon would.” 

Rakanoth paused, head tilting before he chuckled, “Ah, now there is an argument that cuts right to my pride.” He said, baring his fangs, “But I suppose you may have a point. Very well, I will not kill any of these foolish mortals, but I will leave my mark deep upon them.” 

Imperius did not say a word, shaking his head in silent awe. When Aladria wanted something done, she seemed to have a gift with words, that much was certain. Tevar though shook his head, “Maiming isn’t all that good either, Aladria.”

“Baby steps.” She snapped, glowering, “I’m not pushing my luck pass at least the small concession of no deaths.”   
“An attempt at no deaths.” Rakanoth corrected, “I make no promises.”  
Inarius let out a loud sigh, shaking his head as he started to leave the library of fate, “If we are all done with our moral dilemmas and fond farewells, could we please get this mission over and done with? I would very much like to make some progress.”

Imperius glanced to the former prisoner before nodding, moving to follow after him and to the point where they would be opening the portal to Sanctuary, “Let us hope only that we are not too late to help any of our trapped brethren.”

“And hopefully we will learn more about this group other than they are bad...” Tevar murmured. “I would to find out some motivation to what they are doing.”   
“Yeah.”   
Aladria glanced back to Itherael before stepping over to embrace the archangel of fate again. Itherael responded in kind, resting their forehead against hers, both arms wrapped tight about her and his wings combing forward as well. They lingered for few moments before reluctantly pulling away. Her hand lingered against his for as long it could before she drew back too far for them to touch. She smiled gently before turning and hurrying off after Tevar who just rolled his eyes. 

“You’ll be back later Aladria. No need to act like you two are never going to see each other again.”  
“Oh shove it Tevar.” She huffed, “You were doing the same thing to your beloved game system this morning.”  
Imperius paused in the doorway for a moment and let the two mortals pass him, waiting for Tyrael to catch up. He glanced away, sighing softly, before reaching out to gently touch the other archangel’s shoulder. 

“What strife we have and still have...” he paused, looking towards Tyrael, “I want to put it aside for this day to once more draw arms as brothers, not enemies.”  
Tyrael had tensed at the touch at first before relaxing some and reaching a hand up to touch Imperius, “I would like that. Let this be the hour where we stand side by side once again….brother.”  
Imperius felt his resonance ease for once, although he knew it was only a small step towards mending any relationship between them. The bridge was still charred and barely standing, but he was making an effort to try and be nicer to Tyrael, not just out of guilt of what he had done to the archangel of justice but also out of a desire to end the strife in Heaven. 

They could not let petty hatred be what ruined any chance they had at restoring the light of their home. That would just be letting Mephisto win without any sort of effort on the prime evil’s part.  
Imperius gave one last pat to Tyrael’s shoulder before he pulled away, stepping outside the library. He looked about those gathered and had to bite back a small laugh. They made a rather odd group to say the least. Traitors and demons. Nephelem and archangels. If anyone had told him in the past that he would be arm in arm with such a mix, he would have laughed them right out of Heaven.  
Times certainly had changed. 

He raised a hand to trace over the corruption on his chest, feeling it more prominently now before he shook his head, looking around. It was time to make their move. 

“Let us get to this business then. No one gets left behind and no one will fall this day,” he began, raising his voice, “We will storm the complex of these mortals and if we can, find angels to free. If all else fails, we will at least have more information about this enemy and who they work for.”

Imperius paused, letting his gaze linger on each of those gathered before bowing his head, “I feel honored to serve by all of you. May Anu bless us and the crystal arch sing our praise.”

“And may Tathamet grant us bloody conquest and the void draw away from our sin,” Rakanoth added softly, dipping his head. 

“And may the gems be as lovely as the lads and lasses that will adore us when we return,” Tevar said with a nod of his head. 

Imperius sighed, shaking his head before lifting his spear and bringing it down, opening the portal to Sanctuary, “Remember the plan but be prepared for anything.” he warned before turning to face the shimmering surface of the portal, “From this point onwards, we underestimate nothing.”   
He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath to quell the surge of anticipation in his soul before stepping forward through the magical gateway.  
The light of Heaven gave way to the intense darkness of Sanctuary’s night. There were no stars or moon hanging over the jungles that they found themselves in as the sky was swollen with rain-laidened clouds, rumbling softly with the threat of a storm. The air was thick with humidity and seemed to turn the air into a heavy, oppressive curtain of moisture that seemed to weigh down upon everything around them. The sound of the night insects was a thunderous dinned, interrupted only by the loud cries of those few animals that moved when light fled the world. 

Imperius stepped forward, tense as quickly extinguished his wings to a mere low red glow of cinders at his back, his gaze quickly scanning the perimeter as the other exit the portal. Once all had passed, the gateway vanished, plunging them into a near darkness. Only the faint glimmer at the back of the angels remained as a way for the mortals to be able to follow them.   
The demon though required no light, already taking a deep sniff of the air and grinning some as he leaned forward, “Now this is a world more to my liking. Dark. Dense. So much cover for hunting.”  
Imperius glanced to the demon before gesturing out to the foliage, “Rakanoth, scout ahead. Subdue any scouting parties you find in our way and above all else, make sure you are not seen and reported.”  
The demon bowed his head, “As you say my lord.” He grinned, letting out a pleased growl before vanishing ahead into the undergrowth.  
“…that is creepy how quiet something that big can be in a fucking jungle.” Tevar murmured, shaking his head before looking to the others, “So what’s the rest of the plan?”  
Inarius, keep an eye on our flank. Tevar, with me. Aladria, with Imperius.” Tyrael said quietly before turning towards the wall of foliage before them, “Itherael, is everything still clear?”

“Radio chatter is still normal. No indications of detection. You are going in silent,” The archangel of fate replied over the headset, nearly making Imperius jump, “Once you get closer to the outer perimeter, I’ll start to break into the system. We want to hold off on it until the last possible minute so they have little time to recover and push back.”

“Understood. Will keep you updated,” Tyrael murmured quietly before making the hand signal to move out. 

“Once more into the breach,” Tevar murmured before moving to trail after Tyrael as the group moved forward into the foliage, “Let’s hope Rakanoth won’t attack us.”  
Imperius shook his head, “He will not. His loyalty, for now, is with us.”

“He is a demon.” Tyrael growled, “Deceit is in his nature. I do not know what you feel to trust him so completely, but I do not share your confidence.”  
“We have to trust him though,” Aladria murmured, stepping closer to Imperius, “Trust him and trust Imperius’s instincts on this one.”  
Tevar shook his head, “Yeah yeah. Let’s just get going.” He paused, shivering, “Is the reason the jungle is so fucking silent because Rakanoth is prowling out there?”  
“The beasts of the world grow quiet when a larger predator is near.” Tyrael said softly, “Even animals have wisdom about the feel of evil.”

“He will do as he says and keep our way clear and allow us to draw in close to the facility.” Imperius murmured, starting to head into the jungle, pausing only to gesture for Aladria to follow, “And if not, he will be slaughtered and we continue. It is as simple as that.”

“Bold words.” Tyrael responded, tone skeptical, “We are in his home turf in terms of advantage. He could very well turn on us. I still cannot fathom why you are putting so much faith in him.”

Imperius raised a hand to run it over his corruption, “I put no faith in him, but I do put faith in his hatred,” he responded, “And that will have to be enough.”

He had his own doubts, but he had felt no deception in Rakanoth. He had felt eager bloodlust and even now the giddy joy and excitement of hunting down fearful mortal prey, but nothing that would indicate he had intentions of betraying them now. 

“We are wasting time.” Imperius growled stepping into the jungle proper, pushing a few branches out of his way, “We should not let him get too far ahead. It is never wise to have your main force split from the advancing line.” 

Aladria hesitated but a moment before she steeled her resolve, following Imperius into the jungle, a hand resting on one of his arms so as not to lose her way, “Let’s get going then.” she murmured quietly. 

Tyrael and Tevar hesitated a moment before they shared a look and followed the other two in, quickly gaining ground and then passing Imperius and Alardia. Both of them were more trained in the stealth needed to get through the jungle and it was moments like these, Imperius wished he was a bit of a smaller angel given how the vines and roots seemed to lash at him. The progress forward was slow-going and each step brought back a tremor of anxious energy to Imperius’s resonance.  
He wanted more than anything to just charge ahead and burst through the defenses and storm the complex properly as had been the case in ages past. It was taking all his will power to remain crouched and slowly creeping forward through the undergrowth until he arrived at a ridge overlooking the compound.  
The place did not look like much, at least what was above ground. It was a huge cement building that sprawled out with various military grade vehicles parked within the high, cement walls that guarded the place. Electric fencing and barbed wire stretched over the top of the wall. Watch towers were placed at intervals along the outer defenses and searchlights ceaselessly combed the dark jungle, looking for any sign of would be intruders. To any mortal, despite its location so far from any sort of civilization, it looked like any other military building. According to schematics though, most of what they saw were merely administrative buildings and that below it, there was a labyrinth that occupied what was once the ancient city that rested at the heart of necromancer society.  
It was in the complex hidden below though that the answers they sought lurked and hopefully, the angels that the group had perhaps captured and imprisoned. 

Imperius did not glance up as he felt Tyrael shift closer to his side, the archangel of justice’s gaze fixed on the complex below, “Rakanoth reported in to me. He has cleared the perimeter and is on standby.”   
“Good. The first phase is going as planned at least for now.” Imperius murmured.  
Tyrael shifted closer to Imperius, mindful of the watch lights from the towers that scanned over the foliage. Once they had passed he spoke up softly, posture tense, “There is something else that concerns me. When I scouted it earlier, I had felt a strange energy. Being this close to it now though, it is more than clear something is wrong about this place. I’m sure you noted the many lingering mortal souls, far more than normal for any location.”  
The archangel of valor nodded, gaze still fixed on the perimeter, “I have but I also know that the necromancers of the past dabbled in the harnessing of mortal souls.”   
Tevar shivered, “So… have a lot of people died here or something?”

“Possible,” Tyrael said softly with a shake of his head, “The reapers did purge this city and many died. Those souls may still linger, but this would go beyond that. More than I’ve seen anywhere to be honest, which is considerable given I was in Westmarch when Malthael slaughtered thousands…”  
Aladria pursed her lips, “Perhaps there is some artifact within? Some sort of ancient device that is funneling the souls to this place like a beacon?”  
“Again, possible. The necromancers did have such devices, although most were used to contain ah…troubled spirits,” Tyrael murmured, “But we cannot know for sure.”   
“We will deal with the situation once we find the source. It is best not to speculate,” Imperius murmured, shoulders tense, “Let’s just focus on getting inside the place.”

Tyrael let out a soft sigh as he raised a hand to touch his headset, “Itherael, are you in position?”

“Just about in.” Itherael responded, “Making sure I have all my sub-programs active and ready to handle the overflow from their push-back attempts long enough for me to sneak a few little ah, surprises into their system.”

Tevar chuckled, “You had time to develop a virus eh?”

“No, not really. Just some strings of mindless code that will go undetected but allow me to keep a bug in the system even after we leave. A way to monitor where and what they may be messaging between themselves. Even if they boot me, these little strings of code will quietly be dumping information caches across the internet for me to pick up later,” Itherael explained.  
“That’s sneaky of you,” Tevar said with a chuckle.  
“Are you in yet?” Imperius hissed, shifting impatiently, “I am not going to sit around here all night!”  
“Just about.” Itherael responded tersely, “Give me a moment and…there! I’m in! Cutting main power now.”

No sooner had Itherael spoke than the entire perimeter of the complex went dark. There was a whine of generators as emergency lights flickered on. There was confusion below as the guards turned to look about and there was no doubt chatter on their radio on what to do. The confusion only grew when the large transport doors used to deliver larger payloads to the complex below began to blare alarms, slowly opening due to Itherael’s meddling within the system.   
The guards were rushing towards the open doors, weapons drawn as they wildly looked about. Already some of the weapons crackled with electricity, showing they were expecting more angelic beings to be the ones to attack.  
Instead, what they found in their midst was a demon.  
Rakanoth’s roar pierced the air as he appeared in a flash of sickly green mist, mouth already gaping wide and crackling with energy. The lord of despair unleashed a torrent of energy glaives down upon the guards, scattering them quickly. Screams rented the air as the energy connected, sheering off limbs and causing grevious lacerations, although the wounded still twitched in move, their loud cries echoing in the air as their fellows retreated from the demon. Rakanoth laughed both bladed hands slicing into a truck to lift it up and send it flying after the fleeing troops pushing them further back from the now open door.

“Cowards, all of you! Tremble in despair for now there is no escape! All of you will suffer!”   
Imperius had to muffle a sigh at the declaration, shaking his head before he spread his wings, one arm wrapped about Aladria and jumped forward into the chaos of the camp. A few of the soldiers noticed them, but he was quick to send them flying with the flat of his spear. Aladria threw out her hand, shouting a word of power to erect a barrier shield around them as they charged through the chaotic scene of violence Rakanoth was creating.

Fire rained down from vehicles as they were tossed about, adding to the danger already created by the rubble and debris falling from the damaged structure. Imperius even had to leap forward as one of the watch towers groaned and fell inward, cracking off Aladria’s barrier and nearly shattering it before they got out of harm’s way. 

The archangel of valor huffed as he landed just inside the blast door, letting Aladria go and looking back to see Tyrael touching down with Tevar. Inarius came rocketing down from the other end shaking his head as he looked back at the carnage, “Well, Rakanoth did his job well. That is indeed a hell of a distraction they probably weren’t expecting.” Inarius drawled, “At least he came through on his part of the plan.” 

“Perhaps a little too zealous...”Imperius grumbled as he watched a mortal scream as he was thrown across the yard, curling up and just barely ducking under another truck that was thrown through the outer wall, “At the very least no one will pursue us.”

“And no one died,” Tevar drawled, looking to Aladria, “Which in of itself is a small wonder, but I suppose people can live through lost limbs.”

Aladria huffed, looking away, “….still better than piles of dead bodies.”  
Tyrael shook his head, moving pass the blast doors and to the large elevator controls, “Itherael, can you get this thing moving?”

“Yes, I have full control but I won’t be able to open the containment doors on the lowest floor as that falls outside this system. Until you get in and get the wireless transmitter going, I’ll be blind.” Itherael warned. 

Imperius’s nodded, clutching Solarion tighter before pressing his com, “Rakanoth! Fall back to me! Now!”  
The blast doors began to groan, slowly moving to slide shut at the elevator began to move. Rakanoth turned his head towards them before casting one last long look at the chaos before him. The demon let out a hissing sign before vanishing, landing heavily on the elevator beside Impeirus. 

“You are ruining my fun.”

“This isn’t supposed to be fun, Rakanoth.” Imperius growled, “And you’ll have more mortals to throw around in the lower levels no doubt. I’m sure they’ve cobbled together some sort of defense.”

“Just don’t throw me around,” Tevar grumbled, “Remember two mortals are on your side.”

Rakanoth cackled, lowering his head, “I’ll try to remember. Just don’t get in my way, Tevar and you have nothing to fear.”

The demon shifted then to sit back on his haunches, lowering his head and lifting one bladed arm up so he could snake his tongue out to lap eagerly at the traces of blood splattered over it. Aladria quickly looked away with a look of disgust, as did Tyrael. Inarius didn’t seem to care either way, leaning against the railing as the elevator made its slow descent into the bowels of the complex. Tevar shook his head, making a face, “Can you not, Rakanoth?”  
“I may be a demon, but I do not like to be covered in blood. Good hygiene is not a virtue.” Rakanoth drawled before returning to cleaning his blades with his tongue.

Tevar shook his head, “Whatever…still gross.”  
Imperius found his gaze lingering on the blood and feeling a strange urge rise up in his chest in response to the smell of the fresh blood. The corruption seemed to shudder in his soul, murmuring small desires to maybe…have a taste of the red liquid. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he jolted, shaking his head with a small growl. The corruption was growing stronger and with it, came such intrusive thoughts that he was needing to push away.  
By the arch though, he would rather throw himself over the edge of Heaven and into the maws of a cherubim before he started lapping blood off his hands!   
Imperius was pulled from his thoughts by a jolt from the elevator as it continued to churn downwards. The air was becoming colder now and the oppressive humidity was starting to diminish slightly. There was even some traces of frost on the wall of the elevator shaft, an indication of the more unnatural aspects of the chill of this place.   
At the perimeter of the complex, it was clear there were many souls in the area. Once inside, it was an oppressive wave of tormented energy, a moving mass of murmuring, jabbering souls all pulled together and drawn towards the center like water to a drain. It was more obvious that the souls here were not here by choice, instead lured in and then dragged down to whatever lay at the core of the complex.  
It made Imperius more and more suspect that whatever was here was not a mortal artifact, especially given that the necromancers did not hassle innocent spirit, only those that wished to harm the living or disturb the balance.   
“Nearly to the bottom floor. I don’t know what to expect so be prepared for anything.”

Imperius straightened his posture at Itherael’s warning over the com and glanced towards Aladria, “Raise a barrier at the gate doors. If they open fire upon us, that will take the brunt of the damage and allow us a swift counter attack.”

“Right,” the scholar murmured, gripping the book of Tyrael in one hand and her staff in the other, “Hopefully there isn’t anything more than security.”

“I do not feel anything that is not mortal ahead,” Rakanoth growled, lifting his head, “But there are many human spirits. Far too many.”

“This used be the home of the necromancers. Their magic, by its very nature attracts the dead to them, sometimes unwillingly in the case of more dangerous spirits,” Tyrael murmured, his grip tightening on El’druin, “But I will not lie. What I feel now is what I felt in Westmarch during the reaper attack. The same torment.”

Inarius let out a low chuckle, “At the very least these spirits don’t seem to be attacking us. Their movements are aimless, like insects drawn to whatever light only they can see. They aren’t a threat.”  
“…if we disrupt the source, will they leave this place?” Aladria asked quietly. “I feel we need to free the souls here as well if we can.” 

Imperius gave a small nod, “If we can find and disrupt the source, then yes, most likely they will flee quickly from this place and the majority will cross over on their own.”

“But that would be a waste of time.” Inarius retorted, “We are here for our own kind. Worrying about mortal souls-“

“Is part of our duty now.” Imperius interrupted tersely, “Hell or this organization will find some use for their souls unless we can ensure they pass on safely. Whatever is drawing them here, I doubt it is as benigh as you say.”

Inarius let out a snort, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall of the elevator, “As you say then.”

Imperius gave a slight flare of his wings as the elevator rocked to a halt, his attention moving away from Inarius’s words and towards the door in front of them. He could feel the presence of mortals beyond and he moved to heft Solarion up in both hands. 

“Aladria! Barrier!”

The scholar thrusted her hand forward and a shimmering gold shield appeared before them, just as the doors of the elevator rumbled open. The sound of gunfire roared into the elevator, the shield ripping with every bullet that struck and bounced off it. Imperius knew though it wouldn’t last forever, especially taking such heavy damage. And even now, thin spider web cracks were forming on its surface.  
He surged forward, teleporting behind the barrier and into the midst of the soldiers. The archangel of valor barely gave them a moment to react before he brought his spear about, slamming the flat of it into their sides to send them flying against the wall. The force of it was enough to knock most of them out, but a few groaned with conciseness, one even trying to stagger to his feet, however, a quick slam of the butt of his spear against their temples was more than enough to put them down. 

Tevar shook his head, “Aladria? I am so glad you have that new shield spell, even if seeing all those bullets bounce off it was unnerving as hell.”

“Been practicing it with Itherael. I wanted to learn more defensive spell-casting and less offensive and we combed the archives together for abilities that would be of use.” She said with a smile, “The spells the angels of hope often employ seemed the best fit.”

Tyrael stepped forward pass the two mortals, peering down the hallway before glancing to Imperius, “You feel it too, don’t you? There are….many presence ahead. Mortal, demonic, and faint traces of angelic.” 

Imperius nodded, his resonance already feeling out the wave of new souls ahead. They were not the wail of those being trapped and dragged downward. Most felt feral and aimless, not centered like most humans were when within their own bodies. What concerned him though was it wasn’t just a few presences but what felt like thousands.  
“There are more than I had assumed there would be.” Tyrael murmured, “We did not expect them to have…that sizeable of a potential force.”

Tevar tensed, gripping his weapon, “ So they got an army down here waiting to greet us?”

“I don’t know.” The archangel of justice shook his head, “Nothing in the information we found indicated that there would be so many.”  
“Do we turn back?” Inarius asked, wings tense.  
Imperius paused before shaking his head, starting to talk down the hallway towards the oppressive wall of mingling presence, “No. We carry on. We already came this far.” 

Really it was as confusing to Imperius as it was to the others, although he did not fall to fear or think it some grand force. So far, this organization has only used humans, but ahead, he felt the shiver of demonic essence and what mortal souls he felt did not feel human. It felt more like detecting the essences of animals more so something sentient.   
“Itherael, do you have any read on what we are walking into?” Imperius asked, quickly reaching the end of the hall, stopping in front of a large sealed doorway.  
“Nothing. It is all on a separate system. You see any terminal? Even something like a keypad would work.” Itherael responded.

Tyrael stepped up next to the door, pulling out a small device as he looked about the door. His wings perked up as he stepped to a small key console just beside the door and worked to hook the device to the side of it, “Yes, found one here. Loading you in Itherael,” Tyrael said into the com, “Should be able to get something now.”

There was a brief moment of silence from Itherael before he spoke again, relief obvious in his voice, “Getting something yes. Device is working like a charm. Pulling up the maps and camera feed now and…well….that is….interesting.”  
“What?” Imperius demanded, “What is it?”  
“Well, I can confirm at least it isn’t an army beyond the door.” Itherael stated slowly. “No security force either.”

“If not an army, what’s behind the door?” Tevar asked, wrapping his knuckles against the metal.

“Well…see for yourself.”   
Tevar jumped back a bit as the doors began to slide open with a hiss and the lights beyond flared up brighter as Itherael hacked into the power grid on the level they were on. With the increase of light came sudden shrieks and complaints from what was in the room below and for a long moment, the group stood in silent shock at the sight before them.  
The cavern beyond was massive, the walls of it rising high towards a ceiling that seemed miles above them. It stretched forward as well, the walls covered in concrete and metal with causeways that rose to each level where hundreds upon hundreds of enclosures were set up. It looked like a city built of prison cells, all lined out neatly, various containers stacked in the throughways on the bottom floor. Yet it was not humans that were contained within the cells. Behind the bars and class and all matter of magical wards were creatures that were rather common in Sanctuary but in this modern age, had seemed to have vanished into mythology.  
Imperius stepped forward slowly, quickly picking out the familiar forms of Khazra huddled together in one cell about a crude heat source, gnawing on bones and staring out at the group with barely a flicker of intelligence in their dull eyes. Turning to look to the other side, Imperius saw another enclosure made to look like the jungles outside and although dark, he could make out the faint movement of fetishes as they darted about, gnashing their vicious little teeth, eyes wide in curious delight.  
A bellowing roar caused Imperius to jump before he relaxed as he realized it was the cry of a caged wendigo merely complaining of the light flooding into its pen when it had been in the midst of a restful slumber.

Tyrael shook his head, lowering his blade, “I had wondered what had happened to many of the beasts of Sanctuary. I had thought they had simply went extinct…”  
Tevar’s eyes were wide as he gawked speechlessly at the multitude of creatures being held, “Did we just walk into some sort of cryptozoo!? There has to be hundreds no, thousands of cells in here!”

“Seems to be containment for anything that isn’t human.” Inarius drawled as he stepped forward, looking about, “Alll of these are nothing more than the misbegotten, misshapen children of angels and devils or ah, creatures made to fill a niche of sorts.”

“Is that….is that a Khazra!?” Aladria exclaimed as she drew closer to one of the enclosures, gawking at the goat-like men, “I read about them in the book of Tyrael but…I honestly didn’t think they were real!” 

Tyrael tilted his head as stepped up next to Aladria, “All of these creatures are native to Sanctuary. They were very common in the age of your ancestors, perhaps too common in some cases.”

Imperius shook his head before lifting to touch his com, “Itherael, any record of angels being held here?”

“Not in this room no. This seems more for what they call common catches.” Itherael returned, “Angels it seems are put in cryo-containment?”  
“Cryo-containment means they are freezing them somewhere,” Tevar murmured, hefting his crossbow against one shoulder, “So look for somewhere with a big fridge.” 

“I can detect resonances nearby. Faintly though.” Tyrael added, wings lifting, “There is something distorting the call though. Like some sort of barrier that was put up to contain the natural resonance of an angelic soul. It is probably why we did not feel them when we were outside the complex.”   
Imperius paused for a moment before reaching out with his own. It took him longer to feel any faint call of an angelic soul, a fact that caused him to raise a hand to touch the corruption. The fact he had to focus so much just to feel another of his kin was only another grim reminder of how much of his soul the corruption had taken.

“Can you track the trail of it, Tyrael?” Imperius asked, starting to move forward again, “I do not think the enemy will leave us unaccusted for long in the bowels of their fortress.”

“I can yes. It feels like it is coming from ahead. Itherael, can you lock onto a general location?”

“Working on it. I’m getting push-back now.” The archangel of fate murmured, “Working on getting them into a sub-loop. However, there seems to be a variety of labs used for study of acquired specimens. One lab in particular seems promising. It is more secure and they have the date for it on a separate sub-system. It is also located near the cryo-freeze area where they are most likely storing our people, as the mortals have pointed out.”   
“Then that is where we will go.” Imperius said, looking about, “Which direction?”

“I’ll flash the emergency lights in the direction of that lab.” Itherael said, “I’ll get the doors unlocked as well. They have some rather tricky algorithms at play down here, but nothing I won’t be able to crack.”  
Tevar shook his head, chuckling some, “Thank you oh master of the cyberverse.”  
“You are welcome, oh master of the snide remarks.” Itherael returned, his tone amused.   
Imperius shook his head, turning when he noticed some of the lights along one of the causeways above them started to flash. With a thought, he teleported up to the lit causeway, clutching his weapon as he looked about for any sign of their enemy. The quiet was starting to get to him, as if their foe had suddenly drawn into a retreat. 

Or most likely, marshalling their forces for a trap. 

Imperius didn’t turn as he heard a thump behind him of Rakanoth teleporting up to the causeway as well, the demon letting out a low growl as he hunched his shoulders, “I do not feel many demons here, only very faint traces. For a hall of oddities, you would think the mortals would have managed to trap more than a few lesser fiends…”

Imperius paused a moment, glancing to Rakanoth, “There are no large fiends here?”

“No. I’m sure you can confirm that my lord,” Rakanoth responded, suddenly teleporting ahead to land in front of one of the enclosures, leaning forward and baring his fangs, “Just the weakest of our kind. Fallen ones and annoying pests like treasure goblins.” 

Imperius reached out, albeit reluctantly, with the strange sense that his corruption had brought. He could feel the fear coming off of the fallen ones that Rakanoth was currently leering at and how they were doing all they could to press together in the corner away from the demon lord. He also felt a small pool of sorrow with a glimmer of greed from nearby, causing him to glance to his right, across to the other side of the chamber. There, he caught sight of two pathetic looking treasure goblins, teleporting from one side of their cell to the other, each one trying to steal the small pile of junk the other had amassed although their movements were sluggish. No doubt the human guards threw in a few items once and a while for them to horde, but it was far from the treasure the little fiends most likely wanted to get their hands on.  
The fact that they couldn’t seem to teleport out of the cell meant something was being used to contain the little thieves which concerned Imperius more. Even the High Heavens had not been able to keep the treasure goblins out completely. Here and there, the fiends would find their way in and try to filch some gold or relics, although most often a guard would catch them. The host of fate in particular had devised traps to catch the little beasts given that treasure goblins were prone to try and snatch fancy quills and fancy scrolls for their collections.

However, Imperius was realizing that what Rakanoth had observed was true: there were no other demons in the place save for the weakest which was strange given that the mortals were able to contain far stronger creatures rather easily. Not to mention they had thousands of species here, and yet at most, there were only three or four kinds of demons. Too much a coincidence given that the species of demons were nearly countless beyond measure.   
“Itherael, have you found anything of interest about this group? Any outside connections?” Imperius asked abruptly as he continued to move forward.

“Quite a few yes, why?”

“I think that this group and this whole place has more connection to Hell than we may realize.” Imperius growled, “There are barely any demons contained here.”

Tyrael’s wings flared at the news, glancing about himself as if to confirm for his own eyes, “I feel evil, but…it is faint, far fainter than the aura of our own kind.”   
Aladria pursed her lips thoughtfully, “By why have even minor demons here then?”

“Punishment, of course,” Rakanoth said as he slouched forward, raising his bladed arms some as he shuffled after Imperius, “The weak are given punishments like this all the time. This place would be well suited enough for those the prime evil cared little about. A place to be forgotten in.”

“The lack of guards is what is bothering me,” Inarius murmured, “We should be fighting our way for every inch, yet we are allowed to walk freely.”

“Most guards have pulled towards the core of this place it seems or in hallways nearby,” Itherael supplied, “Think they are afraid of accidentally hitting one of the enclosures and setting the denizens lose.”   
Tevar gave a small nod, “That makes-“

Imperius turned when Tevar’s words trailed off, wings raised in slight alarm as he expect the worst, only for Tevar to be rushing to the enclosure he just passed, pressing his face against the glass, eyes wide. “Is that a fucking boggit?!” 

Imperius’s wings flared some in confusion as he turned to look at the enclosure. Indeed, pressed against the glass and sleeping peacefully were a couple of boggits, their mouths hanging open comically and one of them shifted a bit, scratching itself inappropriately. 

“Yes. Those are boggits,” Tyrael began slowly, “What is so interesting about a boggit?” 

Inarius sighed, shoulders hunching, “…they were a prototype race Lilith and I designed while messing with the world stone, to see what could be done. They were made a bit…too prolific…but they really aren’t much of anything.”

“You don’t fucking understand,” Tevar whispered, watching the sleeping boggits, “When I was a little, my grandpa Shen had me convinced that there were boggits in the bog behind his house and I spent hours out there with a butterfly net trying to catch one! I was obsessed with everything boggit or bogan related for like half my childhood!”  
Aladria chuckled shaking her head, “Odd obsession there…”

“Hey, I was nine and had weird fixations,” Tevar huffed, “Just know that this moment, seeing a living boggit, has made my life complete.”   
Tyrael was staring at Tevar now, wings flaring a bit as he tilted his head, “Your…Grandpa Shen?” 

“Yeah, my grandpa Shen.” Tevar said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Old coot filled with wild stories. That’s beside the point. We got real boggits!” He paused, looking to Imperius, “Can I catch one?”

Imperius let out a sigh, shaking his head as he turned to continue following the path illuminated by Itherael, “Not now, Tevar. We are in the middle of a rescue mission!” 

“Bro, please?” 

The archangel of valor let out a growl, refusing to look back knowing the mortal would be giving him that wide-eyed stare in an effort to guilt him, “Another time! I will take you on a boggit hunt and we will find a whole bog den of them!”

Tevar sighed, shifting away to stomp after Imperius, holding back a pout, “We better…I want like ten of em…”  
Rakanoth snickered at the long drawn out sigh Imperius let out as he approached the door, “Itherael, anything behind this door?” he asked, tone slightly exasperated. 

“Nothing on the security camera feed. Most of their troops have pulled back to the hall in front of the lab. They are setting up some heavy weaponry it seems.” 

Imperius’s grip tightened on Solarion, “Open the door Itherael. I will see that they do not finish their setup.”

The door opened quickly with a hiss and Imperius wasted no time surging down the hallway, rounding the corner. Gunfire immediately greeted him, the a few bullets ripping through into his form beneath although most of it bounced off the armor of his form. The archangel of valor let out a snarl, vanishing and appearing within the ranks of the defenders, flaring his wings out, tendrils wrapping about some of the defenders to slam to the wall. One of them managed to duck out of the way and made an attempt to fight back, slamming the butt of his gun against the archangel, although the blow went wide, glancing off Imperius’s right shoulder.  
The archangel slammed his elbow back quickly, hearing a crack as it connected with the man’s left temple, sending him crumpling to the ground. More gunfire though was incoming as a group further up the hall unleashed a torrent of fire now. What was more concerning was the larger canon-like weapon they had just finished up, preparing to fire it. 

Just as one of the mortal defenders was about to pull the trigger, the weapon was crushed as Rakanoth appeared, the demon laughing as he slammed both blades out, smashing the mortals against the wall. There was a crack of bone and Imperius felt the life of one of those hit ascend away from their batter body. More than one of the soldiers slumped down, blood trickling from their mouths as the demon pulled back the blades idly looking over his handiwork.  
The demon was attempting to not kill anyone, but of course, attempting was the key word. Imperius shook his head as he watched Rakanoth casually slid the slain human aside as if no one would notice the crushed pieces of skull and brain matter sliding out from beneath the flattened helmet.  
Tyrael and Itherael rounded the corner next, prepared to fight but quickly relaxed at seeing the enemy was already taken care of. The archangel of justice sighed, shaking his head, “These tight hallways make it hard to fight as a group.”  
“Then we continue with small strikes. When we are in their ranks, they are easy to take out.” Imperius murmured, moving to the next door, resting his hand against it, “Itherael, another door.”

“Just about got the door open. They got someone in the system really fighting me for control.” Itherael grumbled. 

“Not going to lose it are you?” Inarius drawled.

“They are fighting hard, but I’ve still got the system locked down for now. I would suggest a little bit more ah, haste though.” Itherael let out a hum, “And there, doors unlocked.”

With a hiss, the metal door slid aside and there was a sudden blast of air that had Imperius’s wings flaring in distrust, glancing back as Aladria and Tevar approached, “Nothing at our backs?”  
“Our rears are clear,” Tevar said ducking down to get around Imperius, “But you heard our hacker guide! Let’s get the lead out of the engine, ladies, gents, unspecified genders, and demons! Let’s go!”   
With that said, the mortal man took off down the hall, Aladria shaking her head, “He’s going to get himself killed one of these days.”

“If something doesn’t, I may do it if he keeps trying to mimic me,” Imperius huffed before taking off after the mortal, easily overtaking him.   
He could admire the man’s valor certainly, but the archangel knew that mortals were far more prone to injury than he himself were. If they were to turn the corner and into another group of soldiers, no doubt Tevar would be ripped to shreds by their bullets. That though had him easing his way to run in front of Tevar, more or less using himself as a shield against anything they may encounter.

“The resonance ahead is getting stronger,” Tyrael said, moving to catch up to Imperius, far swifter on his feet as he moved forward, “It… it feels familiar.”

Imperius glanced over towards Tyrael briefly before reaching out. He could feel the shiver of an angelic soul, weak, and with the note of distress indicating some sort of wound, but as Tyrael had said, there was a familiarity to it, a note of bravery that resonated with his own core.  
The archangel of valor felt a sudden surge of alarm coupled with a sudden leap of hope. 

“…it is one of my host.” Imperius murmured, suddenly surging forward to teleport far ahead, “One of my kin!”

He didn’t look back as he moved to the open doors ahead, hope singing in his soul as well as a measure of excitement. Just to feel someone that might be of his host was enough to make this whole venture worth all the planning and weeks of tension worth it. Yet as he charged into the room at the end of the hall, that emotion quickly fled his soul, replaced with sudden horror. He stood in the doorway, feeling as if he had been turned to stone and unable to find his voice to speak as he took in the sight before him.   
“Imperius! What is-“

Tyrael’s voice died in an instance as he came up beside his fellow archangel, El’druin falling from his hand, “…what….what is this?”  
Imperius could not respond. He only shook his head mutely, his wings trembling with an anger that wanted to bubble free from his soul.  
The lab was an open room, like many they had passed. This one though was used for storage as there were a multitude of large drawers used for storing samples as well as a multitude of tanks. It was what was in those tanks that had caused the two archangels to falter. Every tank was filled with the hacked apart bodies of angels. Pins stuck out of areas of each severed piece with letter marker identifiers and many of them bore scars and cuts showing distress before death. There were a few full body ones suspended in larger tanks to the side, although all their chest were carved open, as if mortals expected to find something of organs or bones inside to explain how angels were alive.   
The more identifiable bodies though were not unknown to Imperius. He stood there staring at familiar forms, no longer alive, their bodies shamelessly desecrated all to sate mortal curiosity. As his gaze trailed over every corpse, a name was there in mind and ache grew in his soul. Tyrael was mutely shaking his head, his entire form trembling.   
Even Inarius was silent, his wings pulled tight to his back as he looked upon the sight briefly before looking away.  
Hate bloomed in Imperius chest the more he took in the sight and he found his hands clenching. He entered the room at last, moving over to the nearest body on display as he finally found his voice again, “Why…? Why would they…even to this day…why are they slaughtering us?” he finally managed out, touching a hand against one of the macabre displays, “For what purpose?”   
“What is going on? I can’t get a visual inside that lab. No cameras.” Itherael said over the com.

“I…I don’t think you want to see this,” Aladria whispered, trembling as she moved over to one of the consoles to insert another device, “Just…I think you need to get whatever files you can from this system.” 

Tyrael crouched to retrieve his sword, although his grip trembled on the blade, “This… I cannot believe that mortals would- just-“  
“Mortals are fickle creatures brother. True they can be good but, well,” Inarius gestured to one of the hacked apart bodies, “They can be as unfeeling and objective about others as Malthael was.”

Imperius’s hand curled against the class. His old distastes for mortals rose up again and he felt his hatred of them was justified even more, yet at the same time, he could not blame all of their race. He glanced over towards Tevar who stood silently, not making any of his usual quips, his gaze solemn as he looked over the macabre trophies. Aladria was pale, her hands shaking as the pressed a few keys on the computer at Itherael’s quiet promptings in order to get the files unlocked. He could tell that what had been done here caused them as much distress as it caused in him. Imperius inhaled sharply before letting it out, squashing down the old hate that wanted to rise up.

“…this is the work of mortals corrupted by evil.” He finally said, gaze still fixed on the dead armor within the tank, “This is the work of a few. Not the many.”   
Rakanoth entered the room, his mood unphased by what was within the lab. The demon merely tilted its head regarding the corpses for a moment before letting out a faint snort, “Is this truly shocking to you? After so long in the eternal conflict?”

“This is not glorious death in combat with honor. This is…this is desecration of the dead. Mounting them like…like trophies!” Imperius snapped. “This is a display of murder!”

“Ah. Curious.” Rakanoth murmured, “You display the heads and bodies of my kind on your walls in a similar matter is all. I thought this was just a practice of your kind.” 

Imperius glanced sharply over at the demon, wanting to say that what he did was different than what was being done here and that the demons he had mounted upon his walls were nothing more than animals. The argument felt hollow even to him. The demons, even the weakest of their kind, had sentience of their own. Even Rakanoth, who looked more like some warped animal more so some sentient being had displayed some measure of loyalty and twisted honor. 

The mounted trophies Imperius had were on the same level of shameless cruelty and disrespect as what was on display around him.

Imperius felt a measure of his hate bleed away at the stark realization and turned away from his dead kin, “It is a practice of our kind towards demons,” he said quietly, “…it really shouldn’t be a shock to see another race care so little for one not their own.”

The archangel of valor took in a shuddering breath, reaching out towards the faint flicker of resonance that had brought them to the hellish lab in the first place, turning in the direction it came from.  
“We cannot do anything for the dead.” He said softly, “But some are still living. There is no point lingering and mourning over this.” 

Tyrael looked over to Imperius before giving a small nod, “… no more will have to die like this.”

Inarius moved away from the group and over to a large window, looking down upon a brightly lit room and let out a soft, humorless chuckle, “Well, for one poor soul, seems we arrived just in time.”

Imperius felt his soul sink as he drew closer to the window. The room beyond was circular and seemed to be where the grisly surgeries were done by the scientists who used this lab. Peculiar pods that looked like metal sarcophaguses were leaned up against the wall, open, but baring faint traces of angelic blood from their former occupants. At the center of the room, a table was laid out, brightly lit up with various tubes and vicious instruments of dissection lined up neatly on a tray. There was fresh blood on the instruments showing they had been used recently.

On the table surrounded by tubes and vicious bindings, lay an angel. Spines had been driven into the shoulders to help pin them down to the table in addition to clams at the wrists and feet. There were even specialized clamps that radiated a more magical energy used to hold the wings down, stretched upwards over the head of the angel and down over the top.

The angel’s chest was carved in slightly from the top although the incision was clearly unfinished. The mortals must have been in the middle of the procedure before they had fled when alarms had gone off due to the attack on the facility. The sight of it truly was horrific, but what drove a note of pain through Imperius’s soul was the fact that the armor was terribly familiar to the archangel of valor. 

The golden armor that the prone angel worn by those who were part of the luminarei. However, there was the long cloth skirt that was worn by those who were officers in their ranks and the symbol of the bursting sun, similar to the symbol on Imperius’s chest, meant the angel was also a commander of hosts within valor and held rank even above the usual officers of the luminarei. The helmet as well was different, more akin to Imperius’s own, although the sides of the helmet had peculiar prongs that Imperius recognized even now after thousands of years have gone by. 

“Ignaceus!” 

Imperius gave no warning as he burst through the glass, falling down to the floor below. His wings flared only briefly to slow his fall somewhat as he landed heavily, stumbling over to the angel on the dissection table. The figure at the table barely moved save for an errant twitch. The archangel of valor wasted no time rushing to the side of his fallen lieutenant, pulling out the spines and tugging off the restraints on the other angel’s wings to allow the glowing tendrils to come to rest at a less painful angle. Still, there was no response despite the fact he felt the other angel’s resonance thrumming still within his form.

“Ignaceus! Brother, please! Do not tell me I have come too late, that I dallied too long! Tell me you have not heard the song of the arch in your thoughts!”

It was a breathless moment before the angel spasmed, giving a sound like a sharp inhale and lifted their head weakly. The golden wings flicked out, dancing across the floor as they attempted to gather their strength again, “…Imperius? By the arch….how…how can it be you?”

Relief and hope flooded through Imperius as he moved to catch the hand of the other angel, holding it firmly, “It doesn’t matter. I’m here now, brother. Arch above, I did not…I did not think I would ever see you again!”

Ignaceus let out a hoarse laugh, “You are stealing the thoughts and shock from my very soul, commander. How many thousands of years has it been…we…we had given up all hope of your return!”

The lieutenant of valor winced before slowly starting to sit up, his free hand going to his chest and clutching at the wound there, “I will not lie. I had given up hope on so many things, most of all rescue of any kind. The moment they electrocuted me into compliance and strapped me to their table to carve me up for their foul-“

His voice trailed off as he finally gazed upon Imperius fully, tensing as he noticed the corruption, “…Imperius you are-“

“This new age has left very few untouched and the battles have been many to get this far,” Imperius said quietly as he let go of the angel’s hand, “For now I am still myself and I swear I will get you out of here.”  
Ignaceus was silent before he bowed his head, “You will have to tell me what has transpired.”

“I will in time but I expect you to explain what has happened in these ages past.” Imperiu murmured, moving to help the other angel off the table before reaching to touch his com, “Itherael, have you located the others?”

“I would guess they are in the cryo-chambers down the hall from the labs,” The archangel of fate responded, “But I’m having difficulty getting into the systems there. The power system in particular is on a whole different line.”

“Itherael is here?” Ignaceus asked, shaking his head, “So you found them…”

“Itherael is not the only one who is returned to us,” Imperius said, glancing up as Tyrael descended with Aladria and Tevar in his arms, Inarius descending behind him. 

Ignaceus gave a small start, nearly overbalancing and had to lean back up against the table, shaking his head, “Tyrael too? I was there for your funeral when we laid you to rest in Tristram…! How are you-“

“A long story.” Tyrael said with a small humorless chuckle, “But I’m sure we will have time to share all once we are away from this horrid place.” 

Ignaceus nodded, pausing as he glanced towards Inarius, “That you will. You seem to have gained strange followers…” His gaze shifted to the two mortals, tensing visibly, “Very strange followers.”

“Oh trust me,” Inarius drawled, “The mortals are not even the strangest ones with us.”

As if in response to Inarius’s words, Rakanoth landed heavily below, resting forward some, teeth bared in a mockery of a grin. Ignaceus all but leapt back over the table, clutching his chest and groping for one of the instruments to use as a weapon before Imperius raised a hand, stepping between his lieutenant and the demon, “Hold Ignaceus. Rakanoth is not our enemy. For now. He serves under me now.”

“For now? Commander, I have never once doubted your sanity but,” he gestured towards Rakanoth with a bloody scalpel, “A demon!? You truly wish for me to believe you are sane when you allow a demon to serve you!?”

“It is a strange tale Ignaceus and it is a shock now but,” Imperius reached out his hand, “I ask you now to trust me and believe that I have not lost my mind completely just yet. Trust that I will get you out if you cannot accept anything else this day.”

Ignaceus stared at Imperius for a long moment before letting out a sigh, and reaching to take his commander’s hand, “I’ve followed you into crazier scenarios I suppose, sir. Ones with far less answers promised after the encounter. What is but one more?” he paused, turning to regard Rakanoth, “Even if you are supposedly working with a demon as foul as the lord of despair now. Regardless though, I swore an oath of loyalty millennium ago to you, and it stands still to this day.” 

Imperius couldn’t help a small laugh as he helped the other angel back to his feet, “Ignaceus, I have missed you, old friend.”

“And I’ve missed you for far longer. What happened to Heaven when your valor left us,” Ignaceus gave a small shake of his head, clutching Imperius’s hand a little more, “You cannot begin to imagine how I wish you would have been returned to us so much sooner.”

“I can imagine. I have seen the state our home is in and my soul has despaired and ached, not knowing what has happened. But, if you and others are here, we have a chance now to rebuild.”

He could still remember his own despair at seeing Heaven so empty and at hearing what had become of his host. He had expected the worse and that he would never see any of them again. Yet if Ignaceus was here, it meant that perhaps more of his host had managed to survive the ages. He couldn’t quell the hope that was building hotter in his chest at the thought.   
“We will return to Heaven with everyone we can find here.” Imperius murmured softly, “Then we can catch up. There are many questions I have as to what happened that Itherael and Tyrael have not been able to supply.”

“Return to Heaven… are the gates now unlocked?” Ignaceus asked softly, “I…I did not think I would live long enough to see the shining city once more returned to us.”  
“Returned?”  
Ignaceus let out a quiet, humorless laugh, “As you keep telling me sir, it is… a long story.”

Imperius’s lieutenant braced himself against the table some before staggering back a few steps, spreading his wings a few times before moving to get back to his feet, wavering some, “I’ll serve as best I can, sir. I will do what I can to help free my charges before these vile mortals carve them up for their masters.” 

Tyrael glanced sharply towards the wounded angel, shoulders tensing, “Who are their masters?” 

Ignaceus let out a bittersweet laugh in response to the question put forth by Tyrael, shaking his head, “That is a complicated answer. The enemies we have of this age are old as well as new. At least, new to you.”

“It does not matter now.” Imperius said, hefting up Solarion, “We need to locate our kin. Itherael, what is the fastest route?”  
“Therein lies a problem, Imperius,” Itherael said with a sigh, “I can open the door to the cryochamber, but I can’t open the pods. They are powered by the electrical systems and from the blueprints, not sure how to open them. I don’t have access to the power grid. It is on a separate subsystem near the core. I guess that is to stop the complex from getting power if there is a cyber-attack.”

Imperius gave a nod, glancing to Ignaceus, “Can you open the holding pods?”

“No and tampering with them will kill the angel inside. That is a hard lesson experience has taught us,” Ignaceus murmured quietly, “However, an electrical surge can trip the system and cause an emergency release of the pod.”

“Itherael, is there any way you can surge the pods in the room?” 

“Again, trickier than it seems.” Itherael murmured, “I can’t access the power. You would have to go down to the core and load me up to that system for me to be of any help with that.”

Imperius’s grip tightened on Solarion, “Then that is where we will go. Ignaceus, are you fit for battle?”

“As fit as I’ll ever be,” the lieutenant responded, “Although I might have to play support without my spear.”

“Can always be bait,” Rakanoth suggested innocently before shrinking back when Imperius turned towards him, all but radiating anger, “Ah, apologies, my lord.”

“Not the time for bad jokes, Rakanoth,” Tevar drawled, “It’s all about timing…”

“So how do we get to the core? An elevator?” Aladria asked. 

Itherael was silent for a moment, the tap of his keys heard, “Mm, I believe so yes. Might take a little back-tracking but-“

“Are we standing over it?” Imperius interrupted. 

“Ah, sort of? It is still several floors beneath you-“

“And how thick are the floors?”

“Well, thick enough I suppose? Normal thickness?”

Imperius chuckled, “Perfect.”

Tyrael’s wings flicked some as he regarded the archangel of valor with a tilt of his head, “What is in your head, Imperius.”

“Something reckless.” The archangel of valor answered as he stepped back, putting an arm around Aladria and Tevar, “Rakanoth! Take out the floor!”

The demon jolted at the order before looking down, letting out a chuckle, “Oh, this shall be fun!” 

The lord of despair moved to the center of the room, slamming away the dissection table as he looked down at the floor. He lifted one bladed arm, tapping it a few times before he hunched his shoulders, letting out a loud snarl and brought both arms up and slammed them down hard into the floor. The hit echoed throughout the room and caused the whole of the room to tremble. Cracks began to form even as Rakanoth brought his arms up and hit it again. Then a third time. With each hit, the floor gave way more, groaning as it started to sink in towards the middle under the ferocious smashes of Rakanoth’s blades. 

Aladria’s eyes widened as she clutched onto Impeirus tighter. Tevar only laughed, eyes wide as he held on tight to the archangel’s side as he rose slightly into the air as the floor started to finally give way. 

“Here we go!” the mortal man hollered, “One more hit!” 

Rakanoth let out a laugh, leaping up some before bringing both blades down hard into the floor, the concrete giving way with a roar, collapsing downwards. 

Imperius pulled up faster as dust and debris sprayed upwards as the floor collapsed downwards into the one beneath it, Rakanoth laughing all the while as he slammed into that floor with all his might, the shockwaves causing more of the structure around to start to cave in. 

The archangel of valor could feel the surge of pure delight coming from the demon at the destruction being wrought, but mixed in with the sounds of Rakanoth’s laughter was the cry of mortals as they moved to get out of the way of the collapsing floors. Metal twisted and cracked as more momentum was built up by the demon as he fell downwards, releasing more shockwaves of energy with each blow. Electricity danced about as wires snapped and equipment was broken off, dropping down around the demon as he continued to dig downwards. Imperius carefully descended after Rakanoth, making sure to avoid the hazards left behind and ducking around jagged pieces of rebar that stuck out from the ripped apart flooring. 

As Rakanoth crashed through the final floor, the demon yelped just a bit, realzing just how far a drop this las one was and quickly vanishing, teleporting up to clutch off to the side of the last hole, panting, and looking a bit more guarded. There was a snarl already rumbling out of the lord of despair as he half crouched as if ready to attack at a moments notice.

Imperius didn’t need to ask what had the demon lord on edge about the room below. He felt what was wrong long before he even drew close to the opening.   
The souls of the dead were howling this close to the core, moving about in a whirlwind as they were drawn and funneled into the heart of the giant machine. A wave of cold energy washed, digging and dragging fingers along Imperius’s form as if it sought to rip the soul from his very body. Aladria shuddered as she drew close and even Tevar looked unnerved, the two probably feeling the effects a bit stronger than what the angels were feeling.

“…that does not look natural at fucking all.” Tevar murmured, eyeing the pulsating glow, like the beat of a heart that came from the machine, “And it feels all sorts of wrong too!”  
“It’s so cold. Far colder than when we went ghost hunting…” Aladria murmured, eyes shut tight. “It feel like something is trying to drag me into that….whatever it is.”  
“It’s a soul crucible,”Tyrael said, his voice grim, “Although it is one more powerful than those I witnessed in Westmarch. There is no doubt whatever this core is, there a link to the reapers.”

Rakanoth hissed, baring his fangs, “There is something alive about this core. It is no machine.”

Imperius tensed, glancing to the demon as he alighted on the lip of the chasm that the demon had created, “Alive?”

 

“It breathes! It pulsates!” the demon snarled, “It is devouring the souls of the dead, not just bringing them together.” 

Tyrael’s wings tensed, “…the reapers never devoured the dead as far as I am aware. They harnessed their power and that was all…”

“The demon is misinterpreting things Most likely has no idea and is scared of it like some frightened child of the unknown.” Inarius drawled, “But at the very least pulling the plug on this will solve the issue of the mortal souls.”

“Mock me all you want, whore of Hell, but I know what I feel and I know what the final gasps of a soul are before it is consumed!” Rakanoth snarled, “Something writhes within the metal!” 

Imperius glanced to the demon before reaching out himself, probing at the core. There was something more life-like to it but more in a way similar to how the arch was alive. There was sentience behind the energy, a voice, although it was strangely silent, more like an echo as if something should be there.   
The whole of the core flared and heaved like breathing and the souls of the dead were vanishing, ripped apart into pure energy and siphoned away by the various wires that were attached to the core.

“He’s right...there is something alive about this. Something sentient.” Imperius’s grip tightened on his spear, “We need to shut it down regardless, however, I want to open the heart of this machine as well and see what they are using to create an affect similar to a soul crucible.” 

Ignaceus landed a bit further down from where Imperius was, balancing himself against the side of the hole as he peered into the room, “I would not suggest bursting it open. We don’t know what that might do.” He murmured, “But most human power plants have some sort of control access panel or room where the energy is controlled.”  
The lieutenant of valor extended a hand, pointing across the width of the room to small glowing windows set up in the far wall, “If I were to hazard a guess, that looks like your best shot at a power room from what I’ve seen in the past. There may be a switch in that room and failing that, at least a computer terminal that you could use to give Itherael access to the core controls manually.” 

Ignaceus paused though, his gaze dropping to the floor below them where the guards of the complex were rushing out, crackling weapons powering up, “Of course, that is if we can reach it.” 

Tevar snorted, taking aim with his crossbow, “When we reach it.” He corrected before squeezing the trigger and letting out a volley of energy. 

The furious attack by the nephelem helped to scatter some of the guards, but quickly, they moved to get in formation, already aiming their guns upwards.

Aladria shouted a word of power just as they opened fire, throwing up a shield just in time to protect the group from the hail of bullets. She winced though as a higher impact shot burst against it, already starting to crack the surface, “I can’t hold it for much longer!” 

Rakanoth let out a snarl, before leaping forward, teleporting and appearing within the group of shoulders, roaring, before letting out a wave of energized gliaves that cut quickly through the ranks of the enemy, scattering the troops once more.

Imperius let out a small growl and glanced to Inarius and Tyrael, “Inarius, Tyrael, with me. We cannot have the demon doing all the work. Ignaceus, mind the mortals.”

The lieutenant gave a salute, moving over to where Tevar and Aladria were, pressing himself up nearby, “As you command, sir.”

Imperius gave one last nod before he descended, gathering speed before slamming into the floor and unleashing a shockwave of energy that sent many soldiers flying back and causing the weapons they held to short circuit with the force of the energy unleashed. Nearby, Inarius came crashing down as well, letting out a burst of energy that further scattered the enemy forces before. Tyrael did not move to target the defenders, instead, blazing by overhead, tightening his flight into a sudden spiral as he crashed through the window into the indicated power booths. There was shrieks of alarm from within and the clear sign of a struggle going on between Tyrael and whatever mortals were within it.  
Imperius now stood mere feet away from where the machine was, feeling the pull of its energy at his soul and felt a layer of ice start to form over his armor from the intense coldness of the things aura. The souls of the dead were near deafening as well, their fingers scraping against the walls as they were pulled in, consumed, and converted to the energy that ran the entire base. 

Inarius shuddered, glancing to Imperius and then to the troops either unconscious, wounded, or now retreating back out of the room, “What now?” 

Rakanoth snarled louder, drawing away from the core and ducking his head, as if something about it unnerved the great demon, “Let us be done with this! Just destroy it!”

“Tyrael! Do you have any more system plugs left?” Aladria called from where she was perched, “I think I have one more!”

“I am fine,” Tyrael called back, poking his head out the shattered window, “I felt it prudent to bring two with me in case one failed. Just got Itherael into the system!”

The archangel of valor raised a hand to touch his com unit, “Itherael-“

“Getting control now!” the archangel of fate said quickly, “But we are very pressed on time. They are starting to shut me out of systems and I’m struggling to keep control.”

“Will cutting the core power help?” Imperius asked, looking over to the pulsating machine.

“Yes and no. Once it is cut, all systems will go dark. I won’t be able to help you from that point out, other than what I’ve downloaded off their hard drive,” Itherael said quickly, “Will also cause all the holding cells above to release too as well as all labs and storage areas.”

Tevar frowned, “That is releasing a whole lot of cryptozoo on the world.”

“But it would be a good distraction,” Inarius pointed out, “And the pods would surge and open for us to get our kin out.”

Tyrael exited the booth, coming to land beside Imperius, wings lifted in worry, “But what about an exit plan?”

“We will make it up as we go,” Imperius growled out, “Itherael, surge the power!”

“Surging…now!”  
The entire core lit up brighter for a brief moment, the howl of souls rising to a deafening din before it burst, rings of cold, blue energy shelling off into the room. Rakanoth winced back, shuddering at the energy and Tevar nearly lost his perch, only being hauled back up by a quick catch by Ignaceus. A silence now fell within the room as the machine came to a grinding halt and the spirits within fled away, their wails growing more and more distant. 

The room lit up some under the dim light of angel wings and the emergency lightning that flickered in, bathing everything in a dim red glow. The metal casing of the core groaned, before letting out a soft click as the center of it began to slowly unfold like the petals of a flower, belching forth a rush of steam and the smell of burning plastic into the room. Imperius gripped Solarion tightly, his wings giving a flap causing the encroaching cloud of steam to wisp out around him as it filled the room. Yet nothing seemed to emerge from the core and for a brief, hopeful moment, Imperius believe that the machine itself had just been a soul crucible with no living being to channel it.  
That hope was dashed quickly though as a thunk echoed from within the bank of clouds. The metal outline of the core could barely be seen but something rose from it, a hand, covered in black armored and trimmed with familiar silver, the tips of the fingers slightly pointed. The hand fell back to grip the edge of the core’s center. A second hand followed and the outline of a figure rose, although the mist hid much of their being.

Imperius felt his entire resonance flare up in alarm as the dark of the mist lit up as a pair of long, skeletal looking purple wings flared out, coupled by a soft rattling inhale.

Tyrael tensed, taking a small step back at the appearance of those far too familiar wings, his resonance flaring with shock and no small measure of absolute anger, “No. It can’t be…”

Imperius’s own wings flared as the figure stepped forward, coming out of the mist like a specter of death slowly, unsteady on their feet. The black armor was dulled, covered in scratches and dents. IN places, it had even been pierced through in small lacerations that oozed a thin trail of dull glowing blood. What cloth was left of the skirt was frayed and torn, the right side nearly completely torn away. Only the cowl remained relatively untouched, although the long white trims were as tattered as the rest.   
Yet even in such deplorable shape that spoke of relentless torture over many ages, there was no mistaking the former archangel that stood before them now.

“Malthael!”

Imperius tensed as he heard Tyrael shout the name of the former archangel of wisdom that stood before them now, the pure rage in those few syllables felt keenly by the archangel of valor. Even now, Tyrael looked ready to attack, already taking a step forward, wings flared and his entire body taunt, about to charge the emerging Reaper.   
Malthael made no response, although quickly fell back, posture defensive as his gaze fell on Tyrael. His wings spread out, although the tendrils rattled together, a rising shriek of a Reaper renting the air causing the mortals above to flinch and most in the room to draw back. Tyrael began to move forward. 

Imperius reacted immediately, throwing out an arm to block Tyrael all while raising his other hand to point at Malthael, raising his voice so his command would be heard.

“Rakanoth! Subdue him!”

Malthael’s head jerked up towards Imperius for a mere second. It was a second of hesitation too long as in the next, Malthael was thrown hard against the floor, the full weight of Rakanoth falling upon him. The former archangel cursed, struggling before going silent as Rakanoth leaned down, letting out a thunderous roar as he snapped his teeth mere inches from his head. 

Maltahel’s wings flailed before coming to a halt as Imperius brought the butt of his spear down mere inches away from one of the tendrils of his skeletal wings laid. 

“If he moves but an inch, Rakanoth, devour him.” Imperius growled as he moved to crouch down, “For if this is truly my brother Malthael, then he will do what is wisest and no wise angel would move when there are orders for him to be killed if he does, yes?”

The figure tensed, remaining silent for a few moments before a low chuckle escaped him. He did not move, gaze fixed on the vicious teeth poised mere inches from his head, parted slightly with eager paints, “That would be unwise,” Malthael rasped, voice hoarse as it had been a long time since he had spoken at all, “But I wonder, how far has Heaven fallen to have demons follow their commands?”

“Heaven has fallen a great deal after your betrayal, Malthael,” Imperius said as he rose to his feet, “And if he could have his will done, I’m sure Tyrael would slay you now-“

“I still am.” Tyrael snarled stepping forward again, only to be blocked by Imperius once more, “He does not deserve mercy! Have your demon pet step aside-“

Imperius brought his spear down hard, letting out a thundering wave of energy, “The fate of Malthael will be decided by our laws in trial, Tyrael. Not by vigilante justice. We will abided, for once, by the rules that our culture, our very cores were created around or will you challenge me now when we have others to save? Or will you obey my command?”  
Tyrael was trembling, wings still spread and looking like he was about to leap forward regardless of Imperius’s thinly veiled warning. However, he took a step back, letting out an angry sigh as he looked away, “Our laws are foolish. We should just-”

“Then justice has all but abandoned Heaven, perhaps not in body, but in spirit if he cannot uphold the damned laws he bloody wrote to ensure all were given fair judgment no matter the severity of their crimes!” Imperius snapped, “If you like to rebel so much against the rules you wrote, then name yourself the archangel of fledgling rebellion as you aren’t acting like an archangel of justice!”

Tyrael looked away, wings flared some, but he did not retort, merely crossing his arms, silently fuming. 

Imperius eyed him a bit before glancing to Inarius who stood nearby, tense and exuding an aura of hate as well, although he was not acting upon it as his brother had attempted.  
Inarius, find something to bind our new guest. I’m sure the bindings we found on Ignaceus fell through when we carved in the floor.”

The former prisoner hesitated a moment before slinking over to the debris and picking through it and after a few moments, came back with the recovered wing braces and a pair of heavy manacles that must have been in the lab as well among the other horrid tools.

“…why are you bothering taking him into custody? Killing him would save us the hassle of dragging a prisoner out of her-“ 

“I do not want to hear any of you!” Imperius snapped, wings flared. He felt the corruption ripple, but forced his anger down, “He comes with us. At the very least, we can get some answers out of him.”

Inarius flinched, hesitating for a moment before bowing his head, “Your will be done my lord.” 

The former prisoner turned on his heels then, coming over to where Malthael was and roughly starting to slip the manacles onto the former archangel’s wrists and then wings. A sigh escaped the fallen aspect of wisdom, although he put up no fight to the bindings. 

“Is this really necessary? I will come quietly-“

“I am taking no chances with you.” Imperius growled, “Do not think I am friend or ally for not killing you here. If you give me reason to, I will not hold Tyrael back from doing what he wants. All that stands between you and oblivion is me. Do not dare to push your luck, betrayer.” 

The archangel of valor eyed Malthael a moment before nodding to Rakanoth, “Let him up, but keep him in your care.”

The demon snarled as he drew back to sit on his haunches, clashing his arms together, “If he make a move, my lord. I will rip him apart.”

Tyrael snorted, “More than he deserves…”

Imperius’s wings flared, “We will make sure he receives what he is due by our laws when we return.”

“I do not see why he deserves that when he did not offer that same mercy to the thousands he killed.”

The archangel of valor glanced over towards Tyrael, feeling the hatred pouring off him. The corruption within Imperius writhed at it, practically feeding off the energy, causing valor to wince some, resisting the urge to touch his chest. At one time, he was Tyrael. He remembered that same anger, the hatred that he spewed as he called for Tyrael to be placed on trial for his crimes and his own distaste when the counsel all but let Tyrael go without a second thought. 

It was difficult to see that same destructive force start to play out in Tyrael’s own resonance now. 

“Not to interrupt but ah, what is going on?” Itherael asked. “I hear a lot of shouting and Malthael’s name being thrown around…”

“We found Malthael,” Alardia responded quietly, “He was at the center of the core.”

“Ah.” Itherael’s voice trailed off some, “Is he being brought back or-“

“Yes he is being brought back! Do I have to repeat myself a hundred times more?” Imperius snapped, “Let us discuss this at a later time! Right now we have more important lives to save, those of our people being held in the cryo-chambers. I need directions to this place quickly!”

“Oh! Ah yes. Right.” Itherael murmured, clearing their throat some, “Ah, back up the way you came. From the surgery room, it should be to your left out the double doors.”   
Imperius gave a nod, glancing over to Malthael and Rakanoth before looking away, “Bring him along, Rakanoth. In any way you see fit. If he decides to speak and make some smart comment, you have my permission to apply more pressure.” 

Malthael tensed, warily stepping away from the lord of despair as the demon let out a laugh. He was all but grinning as he leaned forward, sliding his tongue out, “Oh, I know how to hold this one!” 

He gave little warning before he snapped is jaw around Malthael, applying just enough pressure to hold him. The former archangel of wisdom went rigid and there was obvious disguist in his posture as a healthy amount of demon drool was already seeping over him. 

True, Imperius wanted to keep Malthael alive and wanted a proper trial to be had and perhaps was not as filled with hate as the other angels in the room, but by no means had he forgiven Malthael for what happened. He wasn’t about to make the trip for the former archangel by an means pleasant.

Tyrael snorted, his resonance flickering with a hint of dark amusement as he watched Malthael become covered another layer of drool, “The demon has a use that I agree on for once.”

Inarius shook his head as he took to wing, although Imperius could detect a new tension to the former prisoner’s body posture. The anger had subdued, but it was replaced with almost a giddy glee that boarded dangerously on bloodlust as he took to wing, “Well, that takes care of how we get him there. To be fair, I think this works out better, after some thought.” 

“You seem to have changed your view on this quickly, brother,” Tyrael grumbled, following his sibling.

Inarius let out a disquieting laugh, “Oh….I suppose so. I’m terribly fine with it now. After all, once he is found guilty well,” the former prisoner looked back and Imperius had to suppress a shudder at the eagerness that rolled off him like a slick of cold ice running down his spine, “I get to watch him die front and center when you lop his head off and see every last drop of his essence pour and his soul damned to the frozen reaches of Heaven.” 

Tevar grimaced a bit, looking away, “….he’s a morbid one today.”

“I cannot say I do not see why he holds such views though,” Ignaceus murmured, “Much of Heaven had held him in contempt and see him as the reason for Heaven’s decline in the first place.”

The lieutenant paused, shaking his head, “But he is alive. Somehow. He was supposed to have been slain.”

“Indeed,” Imperius murmured, spreading his wings as he began to ascend up through the hole they had created in the ceiling, pausing only to gather Aladria and Tevar in his arms again, “The reason for his rebirth is something I’m interested in discovering as well, but now is not the time. As much as I wish to interrogate him now, our enemies will not wait.”  
Ignaceus nodded, taking to wing, although a bit more wobbly at first, slowly gaining back his old strength, “I agree sir….I just hope we have not lost too many to these mortals. Our flock was so few as it were, numbering just below one thousand spears. At least those we knew in hiding.”

Imperius felt his soul plummet at the news. It was more than he had thought could be alive, but a mere thousand compared to the millions of angels that once inhabited Heaven, it was still a considerable loss. Especially when they had no way of properly replenishing their numbers save for interbreeding with humans given they had no access to the arch for so long.

Rebuilding Heaven would not be easy with so few, but perhaps in time they would rebuild their numbers, swell their ranks, and be able to capture a sliver of its former glory.  
Or at least as many as the arch could support given its severely weakened state. That though were musings for another time. Imperius spread his wings again, rising up out of the hole, pausing on to make sure Tyrael and INarius followed him up. The lord of despair shambled forward, looking up the hole before he vanished, teleporting up to the top floor.  
The demon pause then though, tensing up as if he had suddenly been struck or shocked. He gave an audible sniff of the air and let out a growl as he shuffled away from the hole some to unceremoniously drop Malthael to the ground like a predator dropping a freshly hunted carcass. Imperius glanced to the demon as he landed again, letting go of his mortal charges with a tilt of his head.

“What is it?”

“Does Malthael taste as rotten as his core?” Tyrael drawled, crossing his arms.

Rakanoth paused, and gave a shake of his head, growling low as he raised his head, looking upwards towards the ceiling, “I sense…a nephelem.” 

“There are two standing right here,” Inarius drawled, “Of course you would sense them.” 

“Not them! A stronger energy!” Rakanoth snapped, baring his teeth at Inarius, “Above us. Do not tell me you cannot sense it too!” 

Imperius’s wings flared a bit in embarrassment. Truth be told, he was so caught up in musing over what to even do about the discovery of Malthael, that he hadn’t really been stretching out his senses and keeping a feel for the change of battle. Quickly, reached out some away from the group, tensing as he immediately felt what it was Rakanoth had picked up on. There was a powerful presence nearby, one Imperius had not felt in terms of strength since the days of old when Tyrael’s champions had laid siege against Diablo’s forces in the High Heaven. There was no denying what that raw energy was. It was neither hellish nor angelic in nature, a chaotic pool of seething power.

Only this time, Imperius highly doubted this was some savior come to their aid as it had indicated in the past. This was not one of Tyrael’s champions. There was something darker to it, that much was certain. His every instinct told him whatever it was, this was an enemy that was best avoided.

“We need to move faster.” Imperius growled turning towards the doorway, “We need to free our kin and escape before it draws any closer! Rakanoth!”

“Already on it my lord,” The demon all but cooed before snatching up Malthael in his jaws again. 

The archangel of wisdom let out a sigh, “…I can walk-“

“Rakanoth. Tighter hold.” 

Malthael grunted as the demon clamped down a bit more, but quickly going silent and getting the point, although his shoulders remained tensed, a clear sign of his disdain for the situation.

Tyrael snickered before turning and starting to dash for the door, “Itherael, what would the nearest exit to us be?”

“The way you came would be the best-“

“We have too many enemies that way,” Imperius interrupted taking off as well, sparing only a glance back to make sure the others were following, “There must be a different path!”

“Well, there is a docking bay used for their airborne vehicles, but the blast doors are sealed shut. Without power, I can’t get in the system to get them open.” Itherael said quickly.

Aladria pursed her lips, eyes narrowed, “I can provide the power for a short time. Just enough to get the doors open enough for our escape.”

“Hell yeah! Mortal power!” Tevar said with a grin, “We are going to be the lynch pin to secure this victory yet!” 

Imperius shook his head, although his spirit lifted in slight hope at having an exit that they could make before they were trapped down here by the incoming forces, “Then that is our way out. How do we get there from the cyro-chamber when we get there?” Imperius asked as he cut around a corner, relieved to see no soldiers yet given the fact they were racing the clock and a powerful entity making their way towards them.

“You’ll need to go up two floors from where cryo is, if you want to ah, use a short cut through the ceiling.” Itherael responded, “Unless you want me to map out a route?”  
“I don’t think we really have the time for the long way around,” Inarius drawled.

Impeirus snorted, “Not to mention it will be harder to guide our brethren out and keep everyone moving in narrow hallways up to this docking bay,” he paused, all but skidding about another corner, “We will find a way or there is no way to be had.”

Ignaceus chuckled, flitting a head, “You have not changed much, sir.”

“You are probably the first to say that.” He murmured.

Ahead, Tyrael turned a corner, pausing for a moment before he leapt forward, a battle cry emanating from him as he dove forward. There was souns of gunfire and conflict although by the time Imperius rounded the corner to assist, the few troops had been taken care of, lying unconscious about Tyrael. The archangel of justice rested El’druin against one of his pauldrons, looking at Imperius, “I cannot have you handling ever enemy we encounter.”

“Indeed not. Just most of them.” Imperius retorted teasingly, before he moved forward to the sealed doors ahead. 

He let out a growl, before wedging the tip of Solarion into the seam of the door and began to pull it back, slowly prying open the door. Ignaceus came in quickly once a gap began to form and started to press, soon joined by Tyrael. Between the three of them, they managed to get the door halfway open, just enough for them to slip into the cyro-chambers within. 

The room was not as large as some of the areas they had passed through but the chill here was more than obvious. All the pods were covered in a fine layer of frost, although in the light of the angelic wings, it was obvious most of them were starting to crack open with loud hisses.

The power surge had tripped the emergency systems to release the pods as to avoid damaging the precious contents within. However, even as the first ones began to open at last, the occupants did not move, their bodies covered in layers of ice from the deep freeze. Even if the power had cut out, there was little hope for the angels to suddenly spring forward.

At least not without aid. 

Tyrael’s wings flared as he turned towards Imperius, concern and worry flowing from his resonance, “We need to heat the room up, otherwise-“

“I know.” Imperius said quickly, already drawing closer to the nearest cluster, wings blazing, “I will do what I can. Ignaceus! Assist!” 

The host of valor had always been known for the fiery cut of their wings. Imperius in particular had always had a natural affinity for fire, thanks in no small part to his work in the forges of Heaven. Yet it was more the passion in their resonances, the unwavering courage even in the face of insurmountable odds that caused their souls to burn brightest and be able to provide heat. The archangel of valor spread his wings and focused, his armor starting to heat up as his wings blazed, suddenly putting out an incredible amount of heat. It appeared as if an inferno has sprouted from his back and Tevar let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

“Should have brought some marshmallows to roast over those wings eh? We could have made some good smores.” He said, grinning at Aladria.

She shook her head, “Only you make jokes at a time like this.”

“Hey, I ruin dramatic tension. That’s my job!” 

Ignaceus looked at the two before shaking his head, moving to step up next to Imperius, flaring his own wings to add to the heat in the room, although he was moving closer to the open pods near the bottom of the room. 

The ice here had started to slosh off in rivelets, revealing the familiar glimmer of the golden army of the luminarei. A few of the figures were starting to twitch, fingers moving and small shifts of the form as feeling and consciousness began to enter their warming frames again. Ignaceus eagerly was moving forward, brushing his hand over the forms of angels in an effort to pull more of the ice off them. Here and there, a few glimmers of wings could be seen starting to flare out. 

Unsurprisingly, those with the orange colored wings of the angels of valor had begun to move first, their own fire helping to melt the ice faster. One of the luminarei shifted, starting to fall forward dropping their spear and would have hit the ground had not Ignaceus stepped in to catch them, chuckling softly. 

“Steady there captain. I’d rather you on your feet than on the floor.” 

“Commander Ignaceus?” the figure murmured, their wings flaring and fluttering as they began to get their bearings, “How-“

“No time to explain, Captain Ira.” He said quickly, “Let’s just say, salvation comes in surprising forms this day, but right now, I need you to get the luminarei ready to stand fast and fight like Hell itself is nipping our heels.”

The captain of the luminarei lifted her armored head, wings spreading a bit wider which made the stripe of discoloration within them more obvious. She shifted, letting out a huff as she got back on her feet, staggering a bit before moving to pick up her spear, “Got it sir, I’ll make sure-“

Her words failed her as she turned, wings flaring at the sight of Imperius moving about other pods, helping other angels to stagger out onto the main floor.   
“Is that-!”

Ignaceus chuckled, “Aye, high commander Imperius has returned.”

“But he is-“  
“Ira, focus. I need my captain of the luminarei on hand, especially when we still have so many to get out and get moving. I can count on you yes?” 

The captain started, looking to Ignaceus before nodding quickly, “Ah….yes sir!”

“Ira….” Imperius murmured, tilting his head glancing over to where the two stood, “…you were a fledgling last I saw you, barely able to fit in your own robes.”

The captain laughed some, rubbing the back of her armored head, straightening up a bit, “I guess we all have to grow up someday sir or they just let anyone become a luminarei captain these days…but….but it is good to see you.” 

The angel ducked her head before turning to move to the next pod, helping other angels exit their imprisonment. Imperius shook his head, feeling a slight twinge of guilt for how many years must have passed and wondered how many more of those they rescued today had been practically children of heaven at the time of his fall. He could only imagine the tribulations they had to endure to survive this long in this changing world without the warm safety of Heaven. 

More wings soon were crowding the room as reunions happened and Imperius found himself practically mobbed by members of his host, all of them concerned over his state yet at the same time filled with joy in their resonance. 

Yet the host of the valor were not the only angels detained here. There were a few members of the host of fate and a handful of hope as well. Two silent muses of wisdom lurked at the edges, their gaze fixed on where Malthael dangled still from Rakanoth’s jaw, but they did not approach. Rather, the two seemed more content to be anywhere but near their old leader, a fact that had the former archangel of wisdom tensing, as if aware of the passive snub of his presence. 

Tyrael and Inarius were mobbed some as well, but to a lesser degree. There was a few somewhat hostile tremors in the wave of resonances gathering as angels were freed. The long ages it seemed had not dulled some of the lingering distrusts and anger that the fall of Heaven had invoked. Still, no one rose to speak out their dissonance, not with Imperius there and the majority of his host already falling back into line and rank. 

Ignaceus had the captains quickly getting their smaller flocks in line and the luminarei that emerged where already gathering up around Imperius, an eager lift to their wing as if they could taste freedom under their wings once more. 

All of the angels though were keeping a wide berth to where Rakanoth sat and more than a few sent obviously hostile glances which the demon lord didn’t seem to mind. Really, his head was tilted in curiosity as he eyed the various angels, although his head was turned slightly, clearly more focused on tracking the energy of the powerful nephelem that was slowly moving downwards. Not to mention the fact he was carrying an archangel in his jaws, a certain former archangel that had attacked Heaven. Imperius was just glad they were at least listening to him in leaving the demon and prisoner be and that the beast was under his command. 

The desire for escape seemed to trump all desires for combat at the moment it seemed.

“Are all pods accounted for?” IMperius asked, looking to his lieutenants an captains. 

“Yes sir!” Ira said, dropping a salute, “Just getting the last few up on their feet. What’s our next move?’

“Apparently it is digging up through the ceiling,” Inarius drawled, “And then jumpstarting a power source for Itherael to get the door open so we can leave this place. Preferably before whatever is coming towards us arrives.”

“The nephelem is only a few floors above us.” Rakanoth growled briefly dropping Malthael again, “No doubt they have been paused only by the chaos of the released beasts above.” 

“Then we don’t have time to waste.”

Imperius looked up, wings flaring. Digging upwards through the ceiling would be more difficult and without line of sight or knowing what was above, he couldn’t manage his teleportation and try to dig down from the location they needed to reach. The only thing that could be used now was brute force. 

His grip upon Solarion tightened as he flared up his core, gathering every bit of strength and passion he had burning within him and letting it gather at the tip of his spear. After a few moments, he let out a roar of challenge, thrusting his spear upwards towards the ceiling and let out an intense stream of concentrated fire. The intense heat washed over the metal, quickly starting to melt through it, causing drips of molten metal to splash down below and force the gathering angels back. Beyond the thin layer of metal though, his fire burst against concrete which seemed to resist the heat more than he would like, causing his progress to slow. A surge or anger rose up in Imperius and he threw more of his energy, ascending upwards to thrust his spear forward, adding a sudden shockwave to help burst upwards. 

Molten metal and debris rained down, although Aladria had thrown her hand forward to provide a barrier of safety for those below. Most though moved out of the way, drawing back to the sides as Imperius pushed forward. Tyrael soon ascended, bringing El’druin to bare and moving to help Imperius in his endeavors. Burning light erupted from the tip of the blade, slicing upwards to crack over stone and steel as they began to crack through to the first floor above them.

“You do not have to go at this alone,” he grunted, “We can do this together!”

“Then keep up with me if you can!”

Power flared and clashed as the two archangels burst through the first floor and then pressed forward into the second, and then third. Heat pressed in around them and Imperius began to feel a strain of fatigue upon his being as he threw everything he had behind every hit, knowing that all those crowded below counted on him and Tyrael to create the breath that would lead them to freedom. 

A final surge from both and the ceiling gave way once more and erupted outwards into a massive room with walls lined with strange contraptions and more of the devices with spinning blades on top, like the bladed limbs of a dervish of old. 

Imperius did not pause or stop to rest as he rocketed out of the hole, landing heavily and already wheeling around as he heard the yell of mortals at his back and the click of weapons being hefted up. Gunfire rained down, causing Imperius to stagger a bit as one or two bullets ripped at his wing struts. He did not stand alone for long though as Tyrael quickly flew out of the hole, dancing away a few feet before diving in, El’druin blazing as he crashed into the attacking mortals. 

One of the mortals was lifting a larger gun, the tip crackling with electricity and Imperius felt his whole form tense as he remembered the vicious sting of the weapons the mortals had created to immobilize his people. Yet the soldier never got to pull the trigger before a muffled roar filled the room and Rakanoth dropped down on top of them. The lord of despair all but spat Malthael out, the former archangel sliding wetly across the floor before he manage to wriggle himself up onto one knee, and turned to open his mouth wider to unleash a wave of energy onto the mortals to start driving them back away from the large imposing doors of the docking bay that led to the world outside. 

The docking bay’s more open space tipped the battle in the favor of the escapees. There was room enough to fly about, ducking and weaving away from the incoming fire and there was also no reliable cover for the soldiers to duck behind, forcing them out into the open. Inarius was quick to breach next Aladria and Tevar in arms as he landed. At his heels, the luminarei burst onto the scene, joining the fray with practiced precision, reigning down calculated strikes that scattered the guards even more. 

As soon as her feet touched down, Aladria wasted no time pulling away from Inarius and charging towards the side of the door, Tevar on her heels. She pressed her back against the door, eyes wide as bullets and spells were thrown about and the clash of arms and screams of pain rented the air, “Itherael! Where is the power cell in relation to the door!?”

“Look for some sort of panel!” he said quickly, “Should be nearby!”

Tevar looked before letting out a groan, “...I see it but Aladria? You are going to need to grow six feet more to reach it!”

The scholar didn’t miss a beat, moving over to Tevar already starting to climb him, “What a coincidence then that you are exactly six feet something! Now, lift me up!” 

Tevar yelped, struggling a bit to get a grip on the scholar, and moved to lean back against the wall to help steady himself as she moved to get up on his shoulders, “Next time warn me before you use me as a ladder!” 

“No time! We got to get this open now or we are all dead!” She said, pressing a hand to the panel. 

The mortal scholar swallowed hard before closing her eyes, drawing up her own energy and then began to focus it forward into the panel, letting out a cry of triumph as the light at the side of it began to flicker on, “Got it! Itherael, you’re up!”

“I see it! Hacking now!” 

Imperius threw himself forward as a shrieking mortal landed nearby, sending out deadly shrapnel, his spirit lifting at hearing Itherael nearly had access now to the doorway to their salvation. Yet a glance over to where the mortals all, it was painfully obvious now exposed they were now. All it would take was a stray shot and Aladria and Tevar not only would be wounded or dead, but it would kill whatever hope they had of escape. He clutched his spear, snapping his attention to the battle as he scanned the crowd of angels and mortals for the familiar form of Rakanoth.

It did not take long to spot the lord of despair laughing as he all but threw a helicopter across the floor at the backs of fleeing mortal soldiers, “Rakanoth! Protect Aladria and Tevar! Make sure none approach them!”

The demon paused in his rampage before letting out a loud hiss of displeasure. Yet he blinked out in an instance, teleporting to land heavily in front of where Tevar and Aladria were, hiding both from view now, “I do this in protest, I hope you know!”

Imperius paid the demon’s outburst no mind. His attention was now drawn to the battle that was starting to wind down as the few surviving soldiers made it to the far side of the room. That though wasn’t what caught his attention. The ooze of power from the earlier sensed nephelem had grown, pressing at the door at the far side of the room and the massive amount of mortal souls that signaled a proper force to be reckoned with.

It seemed the clock had run out and the most powerful enemy within this place had finally caught up with them, but Imperius would be damned if he would go down without fighting with every last bit of energy he had left.

“Everyone! Fall back to the door, luminarei! At the front! Support behind!”

There was no hesitation in the host of valor as they reorganized their rank, quickly moving back. Inarius all but dragged Malthael along, pushing the former archangel down to the ground just in front of the door and keeping his sword inches from his neck. The archangel of wisdom offered no protest, his gaze fixed on the doorways across the bay that led back into the complex and where the source of the nephelem energy was coming from. His whole form was tense, as if he already knew who or what was coming. 

Imperius did not spare a glance back to his troops. He knew they would be in format as he had commanded. He trusted his troops with his life and even after thousands of years, he did not doubt their loyalty or convictions for a moment. He could feel all of them, their will steadfast, putting their faith in him to find a way out.  
The archangel of valor kept his gaze forward on the doors that were now slowly opening and allowing more enemy troops to pour out and arranged themselves at the far end in their own battle formations.

Imperius’s grip tightened on Solarion as he dipped his head, eying their lines.

Now this was a battle scene that was far more familiar to the archangel of valor. His essence quivered with grim anticipation, knowing that this battle may be their last stand if Itherael failed at getting the door open.

“If we have any of the host of hope, we will need shield support,” Imperius commanded, “any fate angels, spell support. Those of wisdom, assist the mortals as you can in keeping the door powered long enough for Itherael to get it open.”

The ranks of the angels shifted again as the smaller, swifter forms of the host of hope moved to situate themselves just behind the line of luminarei and the angels of fate shifted back, the few that there were, murmuring chants and building up spell power to use. 

The two angels of wisdom shared a glance with each other, their wings flicking, before they moved over to where Tevar and Aladria were. One of them crawled up the wall like some sort of lizard, balancing just above the panel and focusing their own energy to help her. In powering it while the other one moved to take the weight of the scholar off Tevar’s shoulders, their two pair of wings sweeping forward to act like a barrier against any harm that may come. 

Shields shimmered to life in the ranks, covering the front line from harm and affording them protection from any incoming projectiles if it came to a fight. The enemy had that advantage, even if the guns were largely useless. The more electrical based weapons though that even from here, many were brandishing though, would be the most dangerous.  
Yet their enemy had yet to advanced, keeping to their side of the bay for now as if waiting for something.

Imperius didn’t move a muscle or flinch, standing before the spread out lines of the angels at his back. Tyrael stood at his side, shoulders squared, tensed, but ready to fight. The two sides continued to eye each other,the entire room silent.

“They aren’t attacking.” Tyrael murmured.

“We don’t move until they do,” Imperius responded quietly, gaze never leaving the enemy’s lines, “We adapt to whatever they bring to bare against us.”

He fell silent again as the line of the enemy began to shift now, one mortal stepping forward and raising a white flag, waving it about in the air.

Imperius’s wings tensed, his shoulders hunching forward, “Tyrael, I am not familiar with mortal rules of engagement.” He murmured, “What are they trying to indicate?” 

Tyrael nodded, “That is often a sign of truce between mortal forces. Or at least a ceasefire or call to parlay.”

The archangel of valor was silent for a moment before he glanced back to his troops.

“No one takes their eyes off them.” Imperius growled out, “I will see what they want, but at any hint of betrayal-“

“We will not hesitate to strike.” Ignaceus said softly, “We are with you high commander.”

Imperius gave a nod before looking to Tyrael and gesturing for him to follow as he began to draw a few steps away from his force, stopping about halfway to the other force. He quietly touched his com as he walked, keeping his voice low.

“Itherael, Why is it taking so long?” 

“I’m in the system but they are fighting me on it. A lot of broken code,” Itherael responded, “Doing my best though and I nearly have it. Just need you to stall for time if you can.”  
“Then we stall for time.” Imperius growled, glancing to Tyrael “Let us see what they want to talk about and see if we can’t keep them talking for a while.”

The archangel of valor turned back to the mortals, slamming the butt of his spear down against the floor in a sign of aggression and to let it be known he was not convinced entirely of this ceasefire.

“I do not parley with underlings! If you want a truce, I will speak only with your commander!” he roared, wings flaring, “Send him forth now before I grow tired of these mortal games!”

The wall of mortal soldiers remained unmoving for a moment before they parted to allow a single finure to stride forward with a confident gait. 

Their armor was different, more ornate and looked more akin to the armor of ages past, although there was a modern, more form-fitting flare to the design. There was a glow of enchantment over each piece and Imperius could tell with a glance all of it was custom made upon a forge by skilled hands. The aura of power that had had bee descending downwards emanated from this figure, leaving no doubt in Imperius’s mind that this was indeed the nephelem they had felt. 

Yet this nephelem was not familiar, confirming at least it was not one of Tyrael’s champions that had somehow survived for this long. This nephelem was a mortal man with a pleasant countenance, no doubt beautiful by the standards of his kind. The smile was wide and inviting, although something about it tugged at Imperius’s corruption, as if he could feel the insincerity in it. The man came to a halt at the front of his forces, not stepping any closer towards the angels as he raised his voice, spreading his arms wide as if he were merely a welcoming host “The archangel of valor in person. Truly it is a pleasure to meet you!”

“I cannot say the same, nephelem.” Imperius growled, “And you appear to have me at a disadvantage given I do not know who you are.”

The man chuckled, shaking his head, “And you really don’t need to know. Not in this situation at least but I’m sure many of your flock will know who I am if you care to ask them later, should you survive this.” The nepehelm chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest, the pleasant smile never leaving his features, “The truth of the matter is, despite your valiant attempt at escape, you’ve only managed to corner yourselves. I highly doubt your code-breaker will get the door open in time. The encryption put on it is a complex one created by one of my associates.”

Everything about this mortal rubbed at every nerve Imperius had left remaining for this day. The almost mockingly pleasant smile, and the condescending tone of his voice had him wanting nothing more than to shove his spear right through his face and be done with the matter. It took all his willpower to keep himself still.

He just need to keep the bastard talking and put his faith in Itherael. Let the nephelem’s pride underestimate the skill and tenacity of the archangel of fate, especially when so much was at stake.

“What is it you want?” Imperius growled, clutching his spear tighter, “Speak plainly. I did not come here to hear you gloat about a victory you have not clinched yet.”

The mortal smiled although there was a touch of a strain to it. He raised a hand to gesture to the host of angels at his back, the other hand pressing to his chest as he dipped his head in an slight bow “I only want one thing really and I feel it will be easy enough to hand over. Especially when it will be the ticket to the freedom of you and all your brethren.”

Imperius tensed wings flaring at the surprising offer, “And what is the price of this generous offer?” he asked hesitantly, expecting the worse. 

The nephelem smiled, giving another dip of his head, “Nothing much. Just that you return Malthael to our keeping.”

“Malthael?” Imperius murmured, “Why would you want him?”

“Because, he our source of endless power. His essence is what powers all of this. All the souls we draw here to force into his being and then collect from the bleed over of his resonance is crucial to our goals of containing unwanted mockeries of life in Sanctuary. To make it safer for everyone.” He shook his head, “The reaper is mad. Utterly without mercy. Why would you want to let it lose? Here, at least it will serve a purpose.”

The archangel of valor glanced back towards where Malthael stood. The former archangel’s posture was rigid and agitated and if he was not bound, no doubt his wings would be spread wide defensively. He could not feel what Malthael, but the posture of his body language expressed nothing but disdain. 

Disdain and a tremor of fear that was so unlike the former archangel of wisdom that a creeping wariness began to enter Imperius’s resonance.

The archangel of valor looked back to the mortal, “So we give you Malthael and you let us go free?”

“Yes. Really, it is a gift to you!” the nephelem declared, eyes widening as he gestured about, “Your hosts returned all for one war criminal. Really, you would have him sentenced to death. I assure you, being held captive here, he will serve the time for his crimes tenfold! It is a punishment better than any that could be given in Heaven!”

It felt like all the eyes in the room were upon him, awaiting his choice. Itherael was silent, giving no indication of how close he was to getting the door open or if it was a fool’s errand at all. This nephelem offered freedom and all he had to do was hand off Malthael, sentencing him to torment until the mortals saw fit to put him out of his misery. Tyrael was looking at him and Imperius felt his uncertainty about the trade, but at the same time, it was clear Tyrael felt it better to attempt even if it did end up being a lie. No one but Malthael would be put at risk after all.

It was one life for the lives of all those there. An unimportant life of a traitor who was the cause of Heaven’s downfall.

Imperiu’s grip tightened on Solarion.

The choice was an obvious one.

“Commander, bring forth the prisoner.”

Malthael went rigid, staring at Imperius even as Ignaceus approached, grabbing his arm to start dragging him forward. The former archangel put up a faint struggle, heels digging against the ground some before he was pushed forward, half stumbling to Imperius’s side. The archangel of valor clasped a hand roughly onto Malthael’s arm to keep him at his side as he eyed the nephelem.

He could feel Malthael’s form trembling as he held him, a faint tremor that the former archangel was trying to hide with little success  
“You don’t know what mistake you are making, Imperius,” Malthael hissed, “That mortal-“

“Your life for all of ours.” Imperius interrupted, “Wouldn’t that be the wisest choice? Is the life of one, one who has attacked his own brethren and led a campaign of genocide, really worth all of ours?”

Malthael was silent, staring at Impeirus a moment before looking away, “He won’t let you go. You know this. You cannot be so naïve to believe he will. That nephelem…he was able to defeat me. I do not envy your chances against him.”

“Even if he does. Only you would get sacrificed.”

“Imperius,” Malthael’s voice trailed off. He did not look at the archangel of valor, unable to meet the gaze of his former brother, “Don’t do this.”

He dipped his head forward, voice growing soft, barely audible over the rasp of his voice, “He will only use me to harm and destroy more mortal souls. Kill me now if you must. Death is preferable than being turned into a weapon again…”

The archangel of valor regarded Malthael silently before letting out an almost cruel laugh, “Let them have you. Your fate, your pain, mean little to me, brother.”

Imperius’s grip shifted to grasp cruelly against Maltahel’s wings, tugging at the bonds roughly and causing the former archangel to buckle in pain, “And I cannot trust your wisdom for madness! Your life is not worth all those others here! Prove your loyalty now to Heaven! ” 

He shoved the former archangel of wisdom forward. Malthael fell hard against it, curling up some on his side as he turned to regard Imperius. There was no immediate retort though. Instead, he paused, tilting his head for a moment before looking away, shoulders relaxing ever so slightly, “…I see. That is the game you are playing. A bold move. A very bold move.” 

Imperius snorted, “I’m not as brainless as you think.” The archangel of valor raised his voice, eyeing the nephelem. “There is your prize. Come and fetch him. I will not move away from my host and if he is so valuable then claim him yourself!”

His wings twitched a few times, the tendrils dancing about as the nepehelm frowned for a moment before the smile was back and they nodded with a chuckle, “Fair enough!” 

They turned to gesture to their troops and a trio of them moved forward quickly towards Malthael who by then had gotten up on his knees, head bowed and wings slumped in complete dejection, although he was a touched more relaxed some, head turned slightly towards Imperius as if waiting for something more to be said. 

Imperius stood rigid, his mind racing as his anxiety spiked, feeling as if he was standing at the edge of the abyss. The troops were drawing closer. His troops were waiting for him. Everything was in place, but all he needed was one last move, one last bit of luck to be able to pull off the mad scheme he had cobbled together.

Tyrael shifted some, lifting a hand to touch his com, “Itherael, what is the-“

“Got it,” Itherael interrupted excitedly, “I’ve got control and am about to-“

“At my command.” Imperius said hastily, interrupting Itherael, keeping his voice low, “The timing needs to be perfect.”

“Waiting your command then.” Itherael murmured, “I hope you know what you are doing.”

“If it comforts you to think I do, then hold onto that lie.” Imperius murmured, gaze flicking to the soldiers that had nearly arrived to gather up Malthael.

Imperius’s wings twitched and flicked once more, pausing, before repeating the motion. To the unknowing eye, it would seem like nothing short of agitation in his body language. To the eyes of the host of valor, the message being conveyed in the short flicks and twitches was clear enough. Ignaceus’s wings twitched some, a move that went through the lines of the host of valor slowly. One of the smaller angels stepped back, ducking down behind the larger frames of their kin and hastily moved to Rakanoth’s side, leaning in to whisper something to the demon. The lord of despair did not move from where he was crouched, growling low and not taking his eyes off the forces before them.  
Imperius though could feel the swell of eager glee that rolled off the demon as his command reached him.

Everything was in place for the mad plan he had created. The battlefield was secretly set. He had played his hand and worked his bit of deceit. So much of it now though rested on trust and the mad hope he had that some things in this world had not changed.

The mortal troops drew closer to Malthael, one of them now moving to place a hand on his shoulder. The former archangel tensed, gaze turning some towards Imperius as he was hauled to his feet.

Imperius’s wings twitched and he took a step back.

“Now!” 

The three soldiers looked towards Imperius before suddenly two of them were thrown back as Maltahels’ wings snapped open. The third tried to step back, only for the former archangel of wisdom to surge forward, looping the chain of his manacle about the mortal’s neck and with a tug and a sharp turn, snapped the man’s neck and let the body fall to the floor. Malthael stepped away from the corpse, shaking his wings out and letting the now obviously broken clasps on his wings fall away. The runes upon them had been scratched off.

The nephelem stood there in shock, eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe that the archangel of valor had pulled of a move of treachery at all in damaging the runes enough to allow Malthael partial freedom. The dark angel turned his attention to the troops across the way, hunching his shoulders as he turned fully towards them, spreading his wings wide and taking an aggressive stance. 

A shrieking howl escaped him, a piercing cry that caused the troops behind the nephelem to start screaming and pulling back in sudden fear as the power of the reaper was partially unleashed, driving them into a maddening fear. 

The entire room filled with the shriek of metal as well as the doors to the docking bay finally began to open, slowly and haltling given the scant bit of power Aladria and the two angels of wisdom were providing. The scholar was wavering, sweat beaded on her forehead as she concentrate, although it was clear by the sickly pallor of her skin, she was reaching her limit. Still, she wore a smile, hope burning in her chest as well as in the resonance of every angel there as sunlight poured in from outside, bathing the once dark room in brilliant light.

The nepehelm whirled about, eyes wide, “No! Get a hold of yourselves and-“

The enemy commander’s frantic commands were cut off abruptly as Rakanoth teleported into the ranks of his men, roaring before letting lose a spinning blast of sickly green glaives along the lines, scattering them like ants. The demon turned quickly, lashing out with one bladed arm to send another group flying across the floor, laughing all the while, “How pathetic! This is the army you bring! Nothing more than imps ready for a slaughter!”

The nepehelm’s eyes were wide for a moment more before they narrowed. Hatred twisted their once fair features into something more vicious and demonic and they practically gnashed their teeth as energy began to build about them, lifting their hair above them from the force of what they were summoning.

A shriek of rage escaped the nepehelem as he brought both hands up and unleashed a powerful torrent of energy over the heads of his own troop towards Rakanoth. The demon took a step back as he felt the approaching energy and managed to turn enough to take the brunt of the hit against one side, staggering back with a snarl of pain. He quickly turned towards the nephelem though, gathering up his power to unleash a rain of energy glaives towards him. The enemy command nibbly dodged away, eyes blazing red with power as he fired off another blast into Rakanoth forcing the demon back with another roar of pain. 

By then, the hold of Malthael’s shriek had diminished somewhat as the former archangel withdrew back towards the lines and away from the fray and the troops as they rallied up, starting to fire their weapons frantically and attempting to gather up again as the room began to catch fire from the burst helicopters that had been struck by the magical energy now being thrown about. 

Imperius tensed, looking towards the open door and the angels crowded there. They were uncertain of where to go, where to fly.  
They didn’t have the time to linger on such questions though.

“Tyrael!” Imperius yelled, gesturing to the open bay doors, “Guide them out! Unlock a portal to Heaven!”

“I’m not leaving your side Imperius!”

“Go!” Imperius roared, grasping onto Tyrael’s pauldrons, practically throwing him forward, “We cannot let them be captured again!”

Tyrael hesitated before snarling and pulling away, taking to the wing, “You are right behind us!”

“Go!”

Imperius turned back to the battle at hand, his being heating up before he thrust his spear forward, letting out a sudden burst of super-heated energy. He swept it across the floor and forcing some of the enemy troops into a small retreat, although they kept their fire steady. The bullets tore through armor, but did little lethal damage without any organs to hit. One hit though caused him to stumble back a bit, his fatigue from all he had done so far starting to catch up with him. Still he rallied up his strength to teleport forward into the fray, his spear sweeping about in a deadly arch. 

A reaper shriek filled the air again, causing some of the troops to fall back again, one or two falling to their knees as they struggled to endure the horrific din of Malthael’s cry, but it was a move enough to take some of the heat off of Ipmerius and the ranks of the luminarei that guarded the rear of the angelic host as they began to take to wing, following Tyrael as he led the way out of the complex.

Another howl rose from Rakanoth as he teleported away to avoid another blast from the nephelem, crashing into a few of the helicopters still upright after the first engagement. The demon lord was suffering heavy damage now, various wounds now bleeding heavily from his side.

The nepehlem though would not be deterred in their desire to kill the demon and teleported quickly after Rakanoth, energy burning about their hands as they unleashed another torrent of energy, teleporting after Rakanoth with energy burning about their hands as they unleashed another torrent at their opponent. The demon ducked down, scrambling and staggering as his skin melted and blistered, revealing bone in place. Still, the demon lord snarled and snap, managing off another blast of his own and forcing the nephelem to dodge. 

“You filthy betrayer! Death is too good for you! I’ll make sure to string you out across the hot coals of Hell for this!” The nepehelm roared, “You stupid, filthy beast!”   
“Then come kill me you misbegotten spawn!” Rakanoth roared back, “I’ll feast on your innards!” 

The demon’s roar was met with another blast, this one catching the demon in the chest and dropping him to the ground as he let out a bellow of agony.

Imperius winced as he felt the demon’s pain wash over him. All around the battle raged on, the luminarei pushing back against mortal troops as more of their support took the chance to turn in run to freedom one by one. He glanced back to where Tyrael was leading the charge out, guiding the host back to Heaven and then to where Tevar and Aladria were, the latter helping the host angels with the shields against incoming fire despite how her body trembled from the fatigue of keeping up so much spellwork. 

There were wounded now and angelic blood was being spilled, yet no casualties. Those that could not fight anymore were rushed by their brethren to the rear of the line and carried off to safety. The doors were starting to waver, groaning as the power in them started to sputter off for a moment. 

Rakanoth let out another pained scream, a keening cry that cut through Imperius’s core. He whirled about, spear tight in his hand before he let out a battle cry of his own, teleporting forward and slamming into the side of the nephelem, Soalrion cutting a gasp against their side. Energy laced over his form, bringing pain with it, but it was only a fraction of the blast as most of it had been aimed for Rakanoth. The brunt of the blasts damaged slammed into one of the electrical boxes hanging in the room, causing it to hum and power up. The large doors of the bay hummed, once more starting to creak open more to allow more angels to depart for freedom.

Rakanoth lay on his side, tensed and mouth agape some, shock rolling off him only able to watch as Imperius grappled with the swearing and cursing mortal. The archangel snarled, using his greater weight to finally pin the main to the ground. 

“You stupid fool!” the nephelem roared, managing to get a hand free and building power within the palm of it, “You think you can defeat me? I have killed hundreds of your kin!”  
“I am not like any of my kin!” Imperius roared back, bringing his fist down into the man’s face and hearing a satisfying crunch of bone, “I am the archangel of valor! Heaven’s mightiest warrior and I will see you put in your place!”

The nephelem sputtered in pain, but managed to thrust their hand forward, sending a blast of power directly at Imperius’s helmet. It was pain enough to force the archangel of valor off of him, clutching at his face. His senses were in a tailspin, yet he kept on his feet, hand out to summon Solarion to him once more.

The nephelem panted, scrambling to his feet and wiping blood from his face. He leered, teeth stained red as he held out his own hands, summoning a pair of swords to bare, both of them appearing carve of black onxy “I will enjoy this, archangel. Running you through will finally break the spirit of Heaven.”

“Come then and try.” Imperius sneered, “I’ve been needing someone to cut down today.”

The nephelem smirked, glancing towards the door, “Oh I will…then I’ll slaughter the rest of your kin with your own spear!”

The doors groaned behind Imperius and he glanced back, feeling a sense of horror well up as the doors began to move closed again rapidly. Half of the host was still trying to get out, frantic angels desperately diving forward to try to escape. 

“Itherael, what is going on!?”

“I got kicked out! The system shut me out completely!” The archangel of fate returned, his voice lifting in panic, “I can’t stop it!” 

Despair washed over Imperius as the light that marked the path to freedom dwindled but just as it was to close completely, the doors came to a sudden halt, wavering and groaning in their struts as Rakanoth appeared in the opening. Blood poured from wounds along the demon’s flank and he was wheezing, but he remained firm, blades planted firmly against the base of each door to keep them open. The demon struggled, hunching forward as he rallied his strength, forcing the doors open. He raised his head just enough to snarl at the angels, blood dripping from his maw. 

“What are you waiting for you glowing pidgeons!? Get out! I cannot hold this for an eternity!”

The angels within hesitated only a moment before surging forward, taking to wing. 

The nephelem’s eyes were blazing with fury and Imperius couldn’t help chuckling, disbelief mixing with a mad hope as he watched more of his people escape to freedom. He shifted himself more to stand between them and the enraged mortal before him, spreading his wings and rallying is own strength again for the final push, “How about focusing less on your failed plots and more on your promises to kill me?”

“I’ll make sure to deliver your head to whatever hole in the earth your wretched kin decided to hide in this time!”

The nephelem dashed forward, both blades swinging and crackling with power. Imperius did not move to block, wary of the power of his foe, instead dodging back and going on the defensive, keeping the man occupied and waiting for an opening. As they circled around once more in their dance, Imperius got another glimpse of the door, feeling a hint of relief at seeing Tevar and Aladria being carried off by the two wisdom angels who had been helping them at the door, the former cursing and kicking the whole way out. 

Only a handful of luminarei remained, one of them heavily wounded with one arm about Ira’s shoulder, the other about Ignaceus as the two finally took to wing, a now lone angel of hope holding up the rear and keeping a shield of power up in front of her as she flew backwards to continue protecting the last few angels exposed to the incoming fire from the enemy troops. The doors were trembling, inching closed every second. Rakanoth was losing ground, struggling as he stood in the doorway, panting and wheezing, as he forced himself to keep the doors open despite how wounded he was. The demon was weakening, slumping forward almost, yet snarling and pushing back when he could as the last few angels made their escape.

Still, the lord of despair did not move despite how he was alone and open to the attack of the soldiers now moving towards him, starting to open fire. He stayed despite how the doors were slipping shut and in danger of crushing him to a bloody pulp.

Imperius had no idea why the demon was showing such loyalty, but the sight of it caused a surge in his own resonance, a burning fire that had him throwing himself into the fight against the nephelem all over, not looking for victory, no, but for an opening to escape.

After all, Rakanoth was holding the doors open to make sure every last angel escaped.

Fire danced along Solarion as the archangel of valor took his chance to go on the offensive, forcing the nephelem back, even though he knew he was outmatched. The bastard was toying with him. The smirk gave that away, but that fact did not enrage Imperius. It did not drive him to a burning hatred.

He couldn’t afford that. Not now. Not when he was needed by his host. By his troops. By those that were putting their faith in him to see them all through.

Imperius ducked aside a swipe, growling as he felt the blade knick his wings, turning to finish the dodge only for a blast of energy come crashing into his side and throwing him off his feet. The archangel of valor hit the floor hard, sliding but managing to get up to one knee, clutching his spear in one hand as he panted. He was fatigued from the earlier show of power and the drain was starting to tug at his senses. 

Rakanoth was roaring, ducking his head away from the bullets connecting with flesh, wavering. The doors slide a few more inches closed and the light was becoming more faint as less of it was able to slip inside. IMperius painted, managing to get back on his feet, holding his spear out in front of him in a show of defiant despite how his wings drooped slightly.

The nephelem smiled, bringing their weapon up, “I told you I would win. So disappointing though. I expected so much more from you.”

Imperius growled, wings flaring, “You haven’t won yet.”

“True. Let’s rectify that!” 

He moved to swing before he was suddenly hit from the side and sent flying across the floor. The nephelm screamed, letting go of one of his swords as he gripped the side of his face that had been savagely torn, taking out the left eye. Imperius stared up as he watched Malthael straighten himself, wings flicking off the blood from the skeletal tips of them.  
“Such a cocky fool. The nephelem who defeated me had a lot more taste…”

“Malthael!?”

The former archangel turned towards him, bound hands raising to point to the door, “We need to leave. I do not think your pet demon would let me through if I left you to die. Let alone the whole of Heaven.”

Imperius eyed Malthael before taking to wing unsteadily and quickly making his way towards the door, “I’m surprised you stayed.”

“I’m surprised your troops forgot to account for me.” Malthael drawled, raising his bound hands, “But I suppose they were all still hoping I would be killed by one of these mortal wretches.”

The archangel of valor snorted as he grabbed onto Malthael roughly, teleporting forward towards the door. It was barely being kept open, Rakanoth all but wedged in there, snarling and wheezing in pain as he trembled. He was bleeding heavily, barely able to keep standing as his form started to smoke and peel. Imperius did not slow down with the speed of his charge, colliding into the demon and wrapping his free arm about him. The door snapped shut behind them, clipping Imperius’s wings and tugging lose a few strains as he tumbled forward, although he straightened himself out to head higher into the sky, panting as he worked to keep a grip on Rakanoth’s considerable weight.

The light of day was blinding as they ascended. Fresh air rushed over him washing away the stagnant closed spaces of the complex. A laugh escaped Imperius as his form heated up and he made the final jump out of Sanctuary and back into Heaven.

The thick humid air of the jungle vanished, and the balmy breeze of Heaven swept over the archangel of valor as he began to coast downwards towards the ground. Imperius struggled in mid-air, trying to keep a hold of a squirming Malthael and a shrieking demon as he hit the ground heavily. The shock of the landing radiated up his knees and he found himself toppling over, cursing as Rakanoth’s bulk fell ontop of him. Malthael received the worst of it, trapped beneath both Imperius’s bulk and the demon, wheezing as he scrambled hands against the floor as he was crushed.

“Imperius!” 

The archangel of valor stopped his squirming, managing to push Rakanoth’s head off his own, as he turned to see Tevar and Aladria rushing towards him.

“Fucking- Imperius! You need to stop this hero shit of staying behind to hold the line!”

“My nngh! Apologies!” Imperius grunted trying to shove Rakanoth off him, “Once I get this wretch off of me, I’ll be sure to formerly beg your forgiveness!”

Rakanoth let out a wheezing laugh rolling off of Imperius and onto his belly, “You….archangel…you…you saved my life! Twice!”

Imperius grunted as he moved to get to his feet, glancing down at Malthael briefly as he slowly got up before glancing to the demon, “It is what I do for those that follow me. None of my flight get left behind,” He paused, looking away with a huff, crossing his arms, “or those that serve me. I do not reward loyalty like yours with betrayal.”

“You angels…” Rakanoth shook his head, sitting back on his haunches, “You could have left me behind-“

“But I did not! You are part of my troops and I will hold you to your vows as long as they stand.” Imperius retorted, “Do you want released from them?”

Rakanoth shook his head, “No. No I wish to continue to serve you, my lord Imperius. Just… I do not know why you extend kindness or mercy to me.”

“It is neither kindness nor mercy to protect those you fight alongside. That is a matter of honor.” Imperius growled, moving to grab Malthael, “And where do you think you are going?”

The former archangel snorted, looking back at Imperius, “I saved your life. Do I not get any concession for that? Can I not take more than two steps on my own?”  
“Saving my life doesn’t forgive all that you’ve done, Malthael.” He paused, grip tightening, “I’ll at least make sure your cell is comfortable enough until your trial.”  
Malthael stiffened before looking away, “How generous of you brother.”

“Imperius!” 

Imperius glanced up as Tyrael arrived, the archangel of justice, shaking his head as he landed, already stepping forward to place a hand upon the archangel of valor’s shoulder, “Imperius…you are horrible reckless madman.” Tyrael began before moving to pull him into an embrace, “And for once I’m grateful for your hair brain schemes!”

That earned a snort from the archangel as he shook his head and moved to clasp Tyrael’s shoulder, “I’m just glad you trusted me enough to lead our people home.”

He looked up again as Igneceus alighted down now with a bow of his head, Ira and a few of the luminarei landing behind him. The lieutenant of valor chuckled as he shook his head, “I’ll admit, I did not think things would work out, but as ever, high commander, you prove wrong all doubts and fears.”

“Only because of the bravery of my host at my back,” he returned with a bow of his head, “But there is still so much for us to do and discuss, but I feel that will need to wait.”  
He turned to look out over the visage of Heaven, feeling hope fill his resonance, “First we will make sure our people are settled and taken care of. Sharing information can wait until that is taken care of.” 

Ignaceus bowed his head, “Of course sir but ah, perhaps there is one point to discuss.” He looked back at the luminarei at his back, “This is not all of us. Only those that have been captured. More of our kin are in hiding. I’m sure rumors have reached them of your arrival and activity, but time has taught us to be wary of such things less they be some trap of mortals or Hell. I want your permission to dispatch some of the host to spread the word and gather those stragglers back here, to Heaven,” He paused, relief flooding his voice, “to our home once more.”

Imperius gave a nod of his head, letting his hand fall away from Tyrael’s shoulder, “You have my permission. Send out our fastest warriors, travel in pairs and do not linger long where you may be caught.” 

Ignaceus nodded, turning his head to the troops at his back, “You heard the high commander, let’s get to it! You know where many hide! Captain, I trust you to be able to carry this duty out with all due haste?”

Ira threw a salute, grinning ear to ear, “Yes sir, commander! We’ll do it in half the time, is that not right, luminarei?”

A cheer rose from the troops before they scattered, already taking to wing and invigorated by the breath of freedom and the infectious feeling of hope in the ranks that would have brought joy to Auriel’s resonance were she here to feel it. 

Imperius watched the luminarei scatter before looking to Tyrael and Ignaceus, pushing Malthael towards them, “See to it that he is detained until we can meet formerly to discuss how to proceed.”

Tyrael roughly grabbed Malthael by the arm, wings flared and the anger welled up in him, “A pity you didn’t get taken down in the cross-fire.” 

“A pity that I have the misfortune of your company, Tyrael. Although, it seems you have decided to cast aside your mortal shell again.” Malthael drawled. 

“Oh, there is so much of this age you do not yet know, traitor,” Tyrael sneered before he began to drag Malthael away, “You are lucky that Imperius is insisting on you facing justice.”  
Ignaceus sighed, starting to trail him, “…I’ll make sure he doesn’t kill him, but I make no promises about no harm coming to him, sir.”  
“Take what victory you can find, commander.” Imperius said. 

Imperius watched the trio head off, Tyrael roughly pushing Malthael ahead of him, El’druin drawn and prodding at his back as a means to hasten his steps and gave a small shake of his head. He would visit Malthael in time, and as he promised, bring him some books or seating to make his stay at least somewhat comfortable. There was much they needed to discuss as well when the time allowed it.

For now, he let out a sigh and sunk down to the floor in a sitting position, dismissing Solarion. Weariness tugged at his soul as he sprawled back, wings drooping and looking like melted strands of motlen metal oozing out over the floor. Tevar chuckled before moving to slump down next to him, Aladria following suit. Rakanoth tilted his head, regarding them for a moment before shuffling closer and sitting next to them as well, starting to lick his wounds.

“Another day, another high-stakes plan, another win.” Tevar said with a sigh, “And we managed to keep ourselves alive again.”

Aladria smiled tiredly, “I think we all deserve a long rest tonight.”

“Indeed.” Imperius murmured, rubbing a hand over his corruption, pleased at least that this venture, it hadn’t managed to gain any more ground, “Enjoy the moment. The days to follow will be busy.” 

“A good kind of busy though.” Aladria said with a smile, “Helping others get settled and meeting new faces is the kind of busy I prefer.”

Tevar chuckled, “True I suppose. We will see now long we can survive being greeters of Heaven, but for now, I say we did everything on our checklist and can go laze about.”

Imperius was silent for a moment before shaking his head, slowly rising to his feet, “No. There is still one thing I need to do before any rest can be had.”

“Oh?” Tevar asked, “Clean the armor? Gloat? Victory dance party?”

“No…something more personal.”

The archangel had to hold back a wince, starting to feel the twinge of the wounds he had sustained, but brushed that aside for now. His wounds were superficial at most and would heal easily on their own. Rakanoth looked up, slowly shuffling up to his own feet to follow Imperius, head tilted.

“Can it not wait? You should rest my lord.”

“Worry not about me, Rakanoth. Your own wounds are far more grevious than my own.”

The demon looked down over his bleeding form, most of the skin blotchy and blood-stained, “Not as bad as it looks. Demons regenerate fast, as you know,” He grunted, “But you are the heart of this land now. We cannot have you fainting.”

“I agree with Rakanoth.” Tevar said, although he followed as well, “You need to slow down for a few moments.”

“It cannot wait and really, it will take no time at all,” Imperius huffed as he made his way to the hall of valor, “You can help if you wish.”

Aladria smiled a bit, giving a shake of her head, “Maybe next time. I am sure Itherael is worried about me and really, I need to get out of this armor. My chest feels rubbed raw.”

Tevar snickered, “Make sure to ask Itherael to inspect and massage that with his healing hands eh?”

She rolled her eyes and smacked Tevar in the shoulder before stalking off, “You are awful Tevar!”

“You still love me like a brother!” Tevar shouted back, laughing.

Imperius shook his head, stepping into the halls of valor and making the familiar walk towards his trophy room. It had been a while since he stepped in. In the past, he had often spent a great deal of time in the room, gloating over old kills and recalling battles of old with the younger members of his host. Fledglings of valor often came to gawk at the many stuffed heads he had collected from the eternal conflict, resonance swelling with desire to one day slay as might of demons as the ones on display. All of it had inspired so many and done nothing but cause Imperius’s pride to swell. 

Now though, looking around at the fearsome visage of enemies past, stuffed and preserved, he felt almost sick. It did not invoke feelings of valor past. What he saw was the same sight as in the lab, the same amount of disrespect and cold unfeeling cruelty that he had accused the mortals of being capable of.   
It was a room dedicated to his pride and corrupted values of courage.

He rubbed lightly at the corruption across his chest as he moved to the nearest macabre trophy, gently take it down off the wall. It was the head of one of the first demons he killed, smaller than the rest, the face all curled up in a snarl, the eyes long gone and replaced with dull, lifeless glass. At one time he had looked at it with a measure of pride and had gloated so much over the kill.

But that was a long time ago, back when he was far more foolish, more blind to the world outside of Heaven.

That was back before he knew that demons were as capable of overcoming their own nature and that angels could succumb to their own. 

Imperius glanced back to where Rakanoth and Tevar stood, both regarding the archangel curiously. A laugh escaped the archangel of valor as he tossed the trophy to the floor before moving to the next one, “If you want to help, I just need to take these down and dispose of them properly.”

Tevar blinked, “…dispose of your trophies? Given how many you have here, I thought you well, were kind of proud of them?”

“I was, but now.” Imperius shook his head, tossing a few more on the pile, “Now they just make me feel sick of looking at them. Perhaps I’m just…sick of the aesthetic and want a change of décor.”

“…you do not have to take them down if they bring fond memories,” Rakanoth murmured, “My early comment stands. It truly does not bother me.”

“Perhaps, but it does bother me now.” Imperius returned, throwing another on the pile, “I want a fresh start with this room. Maybe bother myself to make a proper study for once if I’m going to remain the king of Heaven.”

Tevar chuckled some, shaking his head as he stepped up to help Imperius, “Sounds like a plan. Maybe get a nice fireplace put in, some tasteful oil paints. I’ll even get you an overstuffed armchair and bathrobe!”

Imperius glanced at the mortal, “A bathrobe? Why a bathrobe?”

“For aesthetics.” Tevar returned with a wink, struggling as he took a large demon head and tossed it on the pile.

Rakanoth sat watching the two work, not saying a word and their entire being radiating confusion, but he did not voice whatever was on his mind. Perhaps Imperius was grateful for that. He was tired from the day, drained, and not sure he could really articulate why he was doing this at all. Perhaps it was the hope that was within him again or the taste of victory had invigorated his resonance to try and be more virtuous and not just be spouting hot air. 

Or maybe something in him had actually changed after all these years. 

It did not take as long as he thought to pile up the demon trophies in the center of the floor. Every single grisly head and body was stacked up neatly into a strange funeral pyre. Impeirus stood before it, letting his gaze trail over the many years of his past spread out before him bowing his head, and for a moment, giving a silent prayer to the fallen. His wings shifted forward, the tendril of one of them lapping over the base of the pile, surging with a final burst of heat to set flame to the pyre and give the demons their proper send off.

He stood there beside Tevar and Rakanoth, watching as those snarling visages went up in ash and smoke, the fire hot enough that not even the bones were left. There was a pang of sorrow in Imperius’s soul. There was so much history in each kill, so many battles and memories of friends made and lost connected to each one, but at the same time, there was a sense of satisfaction in watching it all burn up.

This was a part of his past, one where he had so relished violence and battle to the point he had lost sight of what was important. 

Every trophy did not display his valor, but merely his pride in the conflict he had based his entire existence around. They were memories of a time when he had lost sight of who he was supposed to be. 

He watched the fires until they started to die down and the ash left behind began to be picked up by the eternal breeze and cast into the air. The past, the glory days of old were being swept away, leaving blank walls.

It felt liberating, even if the gesture was purely symbolic.

It felt like a new start, or at least, an attempt to be a better leader for those angels left.

Imperius allowed himself a measure of quiet content as he watched the ashes start to gather as the light of Heaven began to sink away into a glorious sunset over the city.  
A new start. A new try to better himself from the reckless, hateful aspect of valor he had once been, blind in his pride, and resistant to the changes of the world.  
This time, right before the end of his days in the twilight of his life, he would change. That he silently vowed to himself as the last bit of ash from his destroyed trophies was cast into the air. 

“The room looks so empty now,” Tevar murmured, “Kind of unnerving.”

“A bit, but I’ve been told change is never easy,” Imperius responded, looking about the room, “But it leaves the future open for opportunities, new perspectives, new décor.”   
Tevar gave a shrug, “Maybe a game room?”

Imperius laughed some, shaking his head as he clapped a hand on Tevar’s shoulder, “I say we leave that to the living room. In time I’m sure I’ll know what to do with this room.”

Rakanoth lowered his head, “If you need help with it, whenever you decided, I offer you my services, my lord, even if ah…I do not think I am fitted to be a decorator.”  
“Other uses than just that.” Imperius said with a shrug, hesitating a moment before reaching up to pat the demon’s shoulder awkwardly, “But for now, let us take a moment for ourselves away from all these plots and musings.”

Tevar grinned, “I hear a video game with our name on it…er…our names. Rakanoth is backseat advice telling us how much we suck.”

Rakanoth cackled, “And popcorn yes?”

“Lots of popcorn.” Tevar agreed. 

Imperius allowed his soul to settle, casting a glance back at the empty room and feeling no sorrow for it. In fact, there was an excitement that was almost fledgeling like in the options that could be done now. He allowed himself a chuckle, holding on to the sweet taste of victory and the surge of hope so long lost that rose in his soul.  
He was looking forward to tomorrow. 

The vision of the future now looking a bit more promising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took forever to write as there was so much going on, so many characters in each scene, and so much building on top of one thing and well... a lot of character development I feel. This is a turning point, a feel good one. After so much beating down, time to lift back up.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it ; w ; it was a super labor of love, this chapter XD;


	20. A Brewing Storm

The raid upon the complex was a turning point, as far as Imperius was concerned, although, it was a suddenly very busy turning point at that. What angels had been liberated at the compound were soon to spread out, spreading the word far and wide across Sanctuary that Heaven could be accessed again and that the archangels once more ruled supreme.

It was a call of triumphant, but it left scant few minutes in a day to rest, relax or really have even an errant thought. The past four days has been spent trying to find some bit of normalcy as more refugees of the past ages poured in, looking for familiar face, trying to determine who was passed and catch up on histories that spanned hundreds of generation.

At the very least though, Imperius was a bit proud that of all the hosts to return, his seemed to have managed to beat the odds and keep not only together more, but survive the trials and tribulations that fate had put before them. It meant more of them had returned and as the call rang forth, still more returned to the banner of Heaven.

The archangel of valor looked out over Heaven, taking advantage of a small moment of peace, to admire the lofty spires of his home. It was encouraging now to see it not so empty and to have familiar forms flitting about the spires.

It gave hope to his battered core that they could return Heaven to its former glory.

“Your host is quick to settle it seems.”

Imperius glanced over briefly to his side where Rakanoth stood, head cocked as if he was looking out over the same visage as him. The demon lord was more or less the new shadow of archangel of valor, although, perhaps against his better judgement, he was leaving others to supervise the demon from time to time. Perhaps he was starting to go soft or maybe the sudden selfless act committed during the raid had warmed him ore to the demon, but there was now a level of trust placed in the demon now.

The archangel of valor gave a shrug, returning his gaze back to the shining city, “They are taught discipline from the moment they join the host, just as I was taught when I was but a fledgling. Having that foundation to fall back on has made things…easier for them.”

Rakanoth chuckled, “They are a curious flock. Suspicious, but curious. More than a few keep creeping closer each day to me. I’m debating if I should snap at them.”

“They are angels of valor. If you snap at them they are more than likely to snap back,” Imperius said, glancing over to the demon, “And if you want to remain here in Heaven, you abide by my rules. None of them come to harm by you or I will throw you back out to Mephisto myself.”

The lord of despair let out a growl as he slouched forward, shaking his head, “Ah taking away more of my fun, my lord. A little rough nips don’t hurt for too long.”

“It is not always fun and games to serve under me, Rakanoth,” Imperius drawled, moving away from the balcony and back into the halls of valor, his hands now clasped behind his back, “Sometimes you have to endure a bit of boredom.”

“I do not know how you of all angels cope with that,” the demon let out a hissing sigh, shaking his head, “At least Tevar is amusing.”

“Then go bother Tevar.”

“Then I am not following you, my lord and you said-“

“You can go anywhere in the Halls of Valor you please as long as someone is supervising you.” Imperius interrupted, glancing back, “Unless you want to always follow me, even into boring meetings.”

The demon sat back on his haunches some, head tilted curiously before he let out a cackle, his tail flicking back and forth as he bared his teeth in a wide grin, “Well, I do like following you, Imperius. Compared to others I have served, your form is pleasing and your rear most shapely. Certainly a true angelic beauty among the clouds of Heaven!”

The archangel of valor whirled about, wings flaring, “Demon, I swear by the arch-!”

But Rakanoth was already gone, his laughter trailing off as he was already bounding off down the hallways and towards the mortal quarter, no doubt in search of the mortal man. Imperius huffed, shaking his head as he turned away, his wings self-consciously pulling against him to hide the entity of his back all the way down to his knees. It seemed the demon was becoming more at ease in Heaven as well if he was bold enough to make such unexpected comments. Imperius was unsure if he should take the observation as a compliment or be horrified a demon had more or less called him attractive.

He was still flared a crimson across his helmet and upper chest as he stormed down the halls and into the parade yard, more or less ignoring the glances his way. No doubt some would wonder what had caused such an apparent flush but Imperius was thankful that Ignaceus did not say a word about it as he approached him, giving a small salute with spear in hand.  
  
“High Commander, sir. Training regiments are going as ordered and we’ve put forth tests to get some new captains and the like in the rank as more report in. Within the month, the army should have as strong framework.”

“As you were, there is no need for formalities at this moment,” Imperius murmured, giving a nod to his lieutenant. “But that news gladdens my resonance.”

“Old habits are hard to break for an old war bird like me.” Ignaceus returned with a chuckle, falling into parade rest, “I feel though you did not come here to seek me out for talk about the hots of valor.”

“I don’t need to ask. You have proven more than capable of leading the host when I cannot,” Imperius responded, a tinge of mirth to his voice, “And for that, I am more than grateful for. But with things starting to settle, I feel now is the time to broach…other lingering concerns.”

Ignaceus titled his head some, “You speak of our prisoner.”

Imperius nodded, “Has he said anything?”

“Nothing. Well, nothing that is an actual answer to any questions,” Ignaceus let out a sigh, “The poor luminarei who was supposed to be conducting the interrogation left in near tears and the one sent after that was dragged off practically foaming at the mouth to try and kill him so, yes, he’s saying things but his tongue is too sharp for the unprepared.”

Imperius shook his head with a sigh of his own, “That sounds about right when it concerns Malthael. I did not expect him to speak without his barbed words.” He paused for a moment before straightening up, “I’ll go and speak with him. I still do not trust Tyrael alone with Malthael, given his clear disdain and temper regarding the matter. Perhaps with me, our guest will want to share a bit more.”

“A wise move sir.” Ignaceus grumbled, “I do not relish having to hold him back again after the debacle when we first brought Malthael here. My side is still aching from his left elbow. I do not think I have seen Tyrael hate someone so much since Diablo himself came into Heaven.”

The archangel of valor shook his head, rubbing a hand over his chest, “He isn’t the only one though. It seems many do not like the idea of Maltahel being here with us again.”

“No. No he is far from a popular figure,” Ignaceus murmured, “I think we have a guard posted more for Malthael’s safety than for everyone else’s safety. Everyone wants him dead.”

Imperius glanced to his commander, “And not you?”

“Oh I do not have any love for Malthael, do not question that, but I also feel that it is important not to fall to mob mentality and witch hunts like a group of mortal peasants,” Ignaceus said, “It is better to give him his due in trial and hear what excuses he’s had millennium to muse upon.”

Imperius let out a soft chuckle, “I’ve missed you Ignaceus. No matter what has happened, you always remain true to form.”

“Of course sir. The host of valor would fall apart if I was not here to do your paperwork all these years.”

That caused the archangel of valor to flush some, although he gave a small chuckle, “That is most assuredly so, commander. I would charge off to battle without my head attached if you weren’t there to slam battle reports into my face.”

“And I will continue to serve as your self-control sir.”

Imperius let out another laugh, shaking his head. Ignaceus was a professional soldier. Polite and formal, to the point and direct, and organized almost to a fault, but his somewhat dry sarcasm always managed to make Imperius slow down.

At least when it came to matters of the host.

“Do you think Malthael will speak more plainly with you?” Ignaceus asked, “or continue to talk in circles and spin his lies?’

Imperius glanced to his commander, “Talk in circles yes, but know this. Malthael does not lie. It is against the virtues he holds dear to speak falsely. Whatever Malthael says, you can be sure it is the truth he believes.”

Ignaceus gave a nod, “So the answers are between the lines. I suppose that is typical for angels of wisdom.”

“Not with Maltahel. The truth isn’t between the lines. The truth lays at the bottom of a murky pool where he will mislead you and cloud your vision with unnecessary information and comments rather than speak outright,” Imperius trailed off, shoulders tensing, “You have to be careful. He will find ways to get in your head and make you believe anything.”

“I thought you said he doesn’t lie?”

Imperius’s wings tensed, “He doesn’t but no one said the truths he believed were correct.” He looked over to his lieutenant, “Watch what you say. He’s perceptive and will pick up on the smallest pieces of information to use. His greatest arsenal has always been his mind.”

“I should be saying that to you sir.” Ignaceus murmured, “I’m not the one who gets upset over rather small, trivial remarks like being compared to a bumblebee even into your career as an archangel.”

Imperius huffed, flushing some as he looked away, “…right, well, I am getting... better at watching my temper. And I never said I would be good at thwarting Malthael in this, but” he gave a shake of his head with a sigh, “I’m at least use to his tricks more so than the other recruits.”

“As you say sir. Just know, I will not try to hold you back if you snap at him,” Ignaceus drawled, “I do not wish to be made into a new decoration for the wall when you fling me away.”

Imperius snorted, raising a hand to rub at the corruption on his chest, “Duly noted, lieutenant.”

The two made their way to a large stairwell within the halls of valor that descended downwards, away from the usual hustle and bustle of Heaven and into far less traveled corridors. The cool, smooth alabaster floors gave way to rougher stone as they left the newer constructions of Heaven into the more ancient buildings of their forbearers, the floors smoothed over more by foot traffic over millennium than by the hands of artisans. It was the clearest indicator that the two had entered into the older halls of Heaven, most of which had been repurposed more for storage. However, other structures had been left untouched to serve the same purpose they had since the time of the ancient angels.  

Imperius came to a halt before a rather unimpressive, squat looking square structure that bore only the faintest traces of carvings upon its otherwise dull surface. The only feature of note was the large stone door at its base where two luminarei soldier’s stood guard. Both of the guards dropped a salute as Imperius approached, stepping aside to let him pass. The archangel of valor gave a nod in response, moving to push open the stone doors to enter the structure.

The unassuming exterior did no justice to the intricate and maddening design that lay beyond the doors.

The place was a labyrinth-like prison, of that there was no doubt. Stairs went in every direction around a central pit and cells were located in many of the alcoves. Each cell was just big enough to house a single angel with little to no room to stretch their wings and all adorned with heavy chains that would keep any occupant from moving around much in the cramped, tomb-like prison. The entirety of the building was dark, save for a slender shaft of pleasant light that trickled down. No matter what cell any prisoner would be in, all would be able to see that light, that tiny taste of freedom that they would never have.

The whole of the prison had been designed to play with the mind and cause a level of distress in the angels there, giving false hopes and cramped quarters to make it clear this was not a place of freedom.

It was why it was called the Vault of Yearning. It was a prison that was meant to hold only the worse of Heaven’s criminals, those angels that deserved only the harshest of punishments. It had sat empty for millennium, even before Imperius’s fall, as the criminals against Heaven were far and few between. Now though, it had but a single inmate within its residence.

Ignaceus gave a shake of his head as he looked about the prison, “Even now, I can’t begin to imagine the mind that created this place. Our ancestors were of a far more hardened core when it came to punishments.”

“At the very least, reputation enough will keep most from wanting to enter or being able to find Malthael easily, “Imperius murmured, starting to descend one of the stairwells, moving down towards the bottom tiers of the prison, “At least long enough for the guards to react to the intruder and have them escorted out.”

Ignaceus fell into step behind him, hands clasped behind his back, “I suppose they would think you would keep him in the upper cells, not in the ones below.”

“I made a small concession his stay wouldn’t be too unbearable,” Imperius responded with a shrug, “If he might be with us for a long stretch of time, better to let him get use to his new ‘home’ as it were.”

At the base of descending pit, where the only light was the small of golden light that cascaded over the center pool, the larger cells had been created, meant to house the larger angels or even demons that became captives of Heaven.  Malthael had been given that comfort at least to stretch his wings as best he could in the heavy shackles he wore on them now, and given some room for a few pieces of furniture. Imperius knew others were murmuring he was getting treated far too well for what he did, but as far as the archangel of valor was concerned, such arrangements kept the long-term confinmento f Maltahel in mind.

An eternity in this place, after all, would grow dull and even with the concessions made for comfort, they would do little to truly hold back the boredeom that would eat away at the former archangel.

Imperius tensed as he stepped away from the light into the darker cooridors that hid away at the edge of the pit, the light barely in sight and moved towards the only active cell in the structure. The bars glowed with a faint light, resonanting with one another to create a barrier of energy that would make it impossible for Malthael to escape or for anyone to get in as well.

Beyond those bars, completely at ease, Malthael sat at a spindly chair, bound completely in chairs. A book was held idly between his hands and a small candle has been granted to give more light to the place and to make reading a bit easier.

The former archangel didn’t look up as Imperius approached and instead turned a page in his book idly to continue reading, “Imperius. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“I’ve been told you have not been forthcoming about answering our questions.” Imperius responded, ignoring the mocking pleasantries aimed at him, “I’ve come here to see if you’ll be a little more cooperative with me.”   
  
“I have been very cooperative, you’ll find.” Malthael responded, not looking up from his book, “They asked questions and I provided answers.”

A sigh escaped Imperius and he resisted the urge to rub a hand over his face, already sensing Malthael wasn’t going to play nice.

“You are being difficult on purpose,” He finally said, shaking his head, “You do not send someone storming out by giving them the answers they wanted.”

Malthael shrugged, “It is no fault of mine if they do not like the answers I gave to the questions they ask. I do not like to treat them as if they are infants needing to be coddled,” a soft chuckled escaped him then as he closed his book, finally looking over towards Imperius, “But I suppose you are here to ask the same questions and see if I will answer them differently?”

Imperius’s wings tensed and his body language became far more wary as he eyed Malthael. He could tell the former archangel was on the defensive. The former archangel was being far too casual as he put his book down and sat back in his chair, slowly crossing one leg over the other as he turned to face Imperius, clasping his hands in a polite fold over one knee. The only bit of tension in Malthael’s posture was the slight lean forward he did, like a predator eyeing potential prey and the way his wings tensed close, but kept partially flared in their bindings.

Everything about Malthael’s body language radiated obvious hostility. It was a casual warning that if Imperius was to proceed forward, he would have to expect heavy resistance and a verbal tongue lashing that would no doubt tear about his already sundered pride. Yet despite the obvious threat of what was to come, the archangel of valor was not about to back down even if he knew that he was asking for it at this point.  He was a fledgling prodding the flank of a mallet lord and expecting not to get completely flatten.

However, he wasn’t about to subject anymore of his host to dealing with Malthael’s sharp tongue, that was more than certain and of all the angels in Heaven, ironically, Imperius was realizing he was the most likely not to just kill Malthael and be done with it.

Thus, out of his element and expecting a most crushing of defeats already, he crossed his arms, squared his shoulders and tried to steal himself for the painful questioning to come, perhaps foolishly hoping some good would come out of this.

 

 “Then let us start this out easily enough,” Imperius began, leaning against the wall across from Malthael’s cell, “How are you alive?”

“I reformed after death, as can happen with the essence of angels.” The former archangel responded, tone casual, “And once reformed, I was thus, alive again, whole and healthy.”  
  
Imperius’s wings flicked in slight irritation, “I know how-“

“Then why did you ask me?”

Imperius felt his temper flare already, although he did his best to calm himself down, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly before speaking again, “Then why not return to Heaven? Or why not try to kill all of Sanctuary again?”   
  
“I was otherwise occupied.”

“Was it something to do on Sanctuary though? I saw evidence of your entrapment in a fragment of Pandemonium Fortress that lay buried in the earth. Where you there that entire time?”

Malthael tilted his head slightly, “It seems you answered your own question, Imperius. I was on Pandemonium for the time period up until the nephelem champions of Tyrael destroyed it. Then I spent a great deal of time on Sanctuary, as you said.”

Imperius bit back a growl of frustration, his wings flaring out a bit in irritation. This sort of behavior was what he expected just from the body language of the former archangel. Malthael was not going to play nice nor be transparent in his answers. Why he was playing these games though and for what gain was yet to be seen.

“Why didn’t you harm any mortals?” Imperius asked, trying to find more pointed questions to ask, “You were convinced of their need to be exterminated.”

“And it seems that call was the correct one given what they have chosen to do now.” Malthael drawled, “You barely have enough guards to keep an eye on me, let along all the going ons in Heaven-“

“You begged me not to hand you over so you wouldn’t be made a weapon to harm them.” Imperius interjected with a growl, “Do not play coy, Malthael. You do not lie. You keep your secrets and speak around the truth, but you have never told outright lies.”

Malthael fell silent, wings tensing a bit as he regarded Imperius for a moment before chuckling, “I suppose yes, I don’t want to harm them now.”

“Then be frank for once!” Imperius snapped stepping forward to grab the bars of the prison, “All of Heaven either cares very little about you or are howling for your execution! You are going to need to explain yourself, your actions, and what you have been doing all these long years!”

The former archangel merely chuckled again in response, leaning back in his chair as he uncrossed then recrossed his legs, “And where do you stand, brother?”

The archangel of valor was silent. His wings were rigid as he gripped the bars tighter. He could feel Ignaceus watching him, no doubt wondering the same question given the archangel of valor’s insistence of keeping Malthael alive long enough for a proper trial. A heavy sigh escaped Imperius as he looked away.

“I believe you deserve to be given proper justice, to stand trial for what you did.” He began quietly, “And given a fair sentence. Many in Heaven did not care to stop you. No doubt many agreed with you.”

“Oh? How many agreed with me then?”

Imperius looked away “I agreed with you back then. I was complicate in your madness until you attacked Heaven. If you hadn’t…” he paused, his shoulders tensing, “If you hadn’t attacked us, I would not have lifted a finger to aid the nephelem in stopping you from committing your genocide of their race.”

It was a hard truth to swallow. They could not cast judgement truly upon Malthael when they had done little to temper his spiral into madness nor had rushed to defend Sanctuary at the first wave of reapers upon the land. If they had assisted Tyrael in hiding the black soulstone rather than constantly argue and force his hand, they could have adverted the whole incident.

Heaven’s silence was much a crime as Malthael’s attack and all those who screamed for the former archangel’s execution might as well face the same judgement themselves.

The former archangel did not speak, silently watching Imperius. Only his wings stiffened a bit more, drawing in closer with a small hissing murmur. For a moment, Imperius held hope that his honest words and admittance may have softened Malthael somewhat and that the archangel of wisdom would speak more plainly.

All those hopes were obliterated when Malthael let out a cold, almost mocking laugh.

“And they call me mad! Seems the corruption you suffer has gone straight to your head, rotted out your core until it has become soft and now pours out your suddenly bleeding heart.” Malthael shook his head, the laughter dying down to a chuckle, “How much you must care for these mortals.”

“Do not mock me Malthael!” Imperius snarled, the metal of the bars starting to bend slightly under his grip, “When we were escaping, you said-“

“I said everything I needed to say to try and gain your pity to avoid being in their clutches.” Malthael retorted, “The man was obviously mad. Only a fool of passion would have turned me over and trusted the nephelem at his foul word. You had mortals with you, and given your opinions on them, I merely deduced that you have a sudden fondness for them-“

“You don’t lie Malthael!” Imperius roared, “You never have! You have always saw it as beneath you and as much as you want to try and convince me you were being manipulative and twisting what you said around to earn my pity, I know you for being honest, even if it is a brutal, confusing truth to be had!”

“That is rich coming from an angel so riddled with corruption now, he might as well be a minion of Hell,” Malthael sneered, “Perhaps you are now, given you permit a demon to live here in Heaven. Since when did we-“

“Keep your barbs to yourself, Malthael!” Imperius snarled, pulling away from the cell and turning his back to the former archangel, “When you are feeling less like we are all your enemy and you have done nothing wrong, then we will speak. Until then, enjoy your solitude!”

He didn’t wait for a response, stalking out and feeling his entire core broil with anger. Ignaceus quietly fell into step behind him as he stormed out, holding his silence and giving Imperius time to calm himself.

Really, Imperius could not understand why Malthael had been so vicious in his verbal assault when out of all the angels in Heaven, it was he, the archangel of valor, that was fighting so hard to keep him from the executioner’s block. It was feeling almost like the former archangel wanted to have all of Heaven try and kill him at once with how he was carrying on despite being at the mercy of the many.

If this was some power play or part of some grander plot, Imperius, for the life of him, couldn’t figure out what his motive or eventual goal could really be.

He stalked past the guards, not sparing a glance to either, “Keep to your post! No one goes in to speak to him until I say so!”

The two saluted quickly, not about to say a word to the obvious irate archangel of valor as he continued to storm forward, wings flared out and glowing a brighter shade of their fiery orange. It was only when he was halfway back to the hall of valor did Ignaceus finally clear his throat and step up  more to walk beside his commander.

 “Sir?” he began slowly, voice level, “Just wanted to remind you that we have the meeting with the others soon regarding events-“

“Postpone it!” Imperius snapped, “I’m not in the mood to hear what is no doubt bad news about what became of Auriel and Heaven and what have you! Your report was put off a week already in favor of helping our people to establish themselves once more in Heaven, it can be delayed an hour or two!”

“Very well sir. I’ll send the word along.”

Imperius’s response was a grumble as he threw open the doors to his war room. There were a few of the captains in the room who jumped, wings flaring as he entered, wisely stepping back to let him pass. However, the sight of Tyrael in the room was a somewhat unexpected sight. The archangel of justice looked up sharply at Imperius’s angry entrance, wings flicking in concern and an underlying curiosity which was conveyed in a silent tilt of his head. The archangel of valor did not bother to speak to any of them, moving to the table and slamming both hands down. The entire room was silent as he fumed, practically hissing from the heat in his core as he pushed aside a few reports, half reading them before snatching up one of them and turning to fix his gaze around the room at the captains there.

Eventually his gaze fell on the captain of the luminarei, jabbing a finger in her direction, “Captain Ira, take a few of the luminarei and a few angels of hope and go down to the drill in the wild lands. It suffered some recent…damages, but we need it back up and running in order to start working on these restoration projects.”

The captain gave a salute and a nod, “I’ll see to that as soon as possible sir.”

He gave a nod, before looking to Ignaceus, “And I need you to pass the word along to Itherael about the delay in the meeting. He should be in the library working with members of his host and the host of hope, helping them to settle.”

“On my way sir.” Ignaceus said throwing a salute, “Captain Ira, walk with me. We can see about asking Moni about which angels of hope to best recruit for this mission.”

“You mean recruit Moni for this mission because you know she’s coming one way or another.” Ira responded with a chuckle, falling into step beside him, “What trouble I’m getting into, she’s either instigating it or encouraging it.”

The conversation of the two faded away as they left the room, although Imperius paid it barely any mind. Instead, he looked about the room at the other captains milling about, letting out a slight growl, “And what are the rest of you doing here? Get to your platoons and get things organized! Assist in propping up damage structures! Make yourselves useful!”

The captains were quick to snap to attention and quickly vacate the room, knowing when their commander was asking for some space. As the last one hurried out, Imperius’s gaze fell on the one angel still left in the room, wings flaring some.

“And what are you even doing here Tyrael?” Imperius growled before going back to shuffling through the reports, this time starting to read them a bit more closely.

 “I was looking over the lists of angels that have been reported here,” Tyrael answered quietly, setting down the form he had been purosing, “I was seeing if any of my flight were here but, I’ve noticed there is not even a list for my host.”

Imperius was silent for a moment, glancing up to regard Tyrael before his gaze fell back to the report he currently held, “Your host has not exsisted since the day you fell and became mortal,” the archangel of valor finally said “When you fell, you abandoned them. They went to other hosts or remained unaffiliated and detached.”

 

“The Sicarai-“

“Where completely annihilated.” Imperius paused, wings pulling close, “Those that were not killed by your nephelem, fell to Malthael’s madness or were found dead after committing suicide. Your host is long gone Tyrael.”

Tyrael was silent, looking over the list still, “I see names familiar to me within your own host now.”

“As I said before, your host dispersed when you fell. I took many of yours under my banner.” Imperius glanced up, looking over at Tyrael, “They no longer identify as angels of justice. I suppose they became as disillusioned with justice as you.”

“I have not become disillusioned with justice.”

Imperius glanced up at the terse respond from Tyrael and he could feel the irritation coming off him. Although they were on somewhat better terms, tension had started to creep up once again. Their differences of opinion was starting to make itself known with so many returning and of course, the issue of what was to become of Malthael.

As far as Impeirus was concerned, the issues were just making it more apparent how justice in Heaven had slowly begun to degrade into mobs and passions.

The archangel of valor snorted some, looking back down to the document he was reading, wings flaring, “To be honest, Tyrael, I don’t think you even remember what your aspect is supposed to embody, but given you once took Malthael’s aspect, perhaps you should take on all the duties of that task and care for the remnants of his host.” He said, glancing up, “They are not many but just enough that it is hard to take on with my own host, given their unique needs. At the very least, it is a small group in Heaven you can regain the trust of.”  
  
Tyrael shifted a bit, wings pulling in close and Imperius could feel a slight wave of discontent brewing in his resonance. It was an obvious reluctance that had Imperius already simmering temper starting to rally up again.

“I do not…think that is the best fit for me.”

“What is it now?” Imperius snapped, “It is just attending to a host. No different than what you did for your own host.”

“I do not think…I do not think I am the best fit to handle Malthael’s host.” Tyrael repeated, crossing his arms, “Given my personal feelings about him-“

Imperius slammed both his hands on the table, causing Tyrael to jump, “Your feelings are not a factor in this, Tyrael! What remains of the host of wisdom deserves our protection! You already failed them once, letting them bear the brunt of persecution by your nephelem allies when they had not joined him in his mad crusade, at least right this one wrong by helping now!”

“Just because they did not join him does not mean they did not agree with him!” Tyrael retorted, “Many of them-“

“I have no time for this ridiculous argument! If you don’t want to do anything but grouse about the state of things in your corner and do nothing to help, then do that and stop wasting my time!”

“I don’t want to do nothing-“

“Then do what you bloody always do!” Imperius roared, “Just do your own thing, disregard everyone else to follow your passions, and leave the rest of us to pick up the pieces! You are terrible good at doing that!”

The archangel of valor gave Tyrael no room to respond, already vanishing away in an angry flurry. He could feel the corruption roiling in his core due to the sudden surge of anger so soon after his encounter with Malthael. The low light and relatively emptiness of the pool of wisdoms were in of themselves a slight blessing he supposed. At the very least, there was no one here to immediately rile his temper. Imperius took in a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down as he looked about the lands here, taking in the landscape once more.

Most of the core of Heaven was starting to show life and restoration, however the pools had not been touched. The sight had only become a touch more morose when the angels of the host of wisdom, the handful that there were, returned to the area, pitching what amounted to crude tents and lean-tos given most of the buildings were gutted and unlivable.  They looked like squatters in their own land, pulling weeds out of muddy pools of stagnant liquid in some vain attempt to try and get the water to flow as it once did. Only about thirty angels of widom had returned thus far and they had already began to drift apart from the main body of Heaven, content in the company of their own ilk.

It had been as recent as Malthael’s rule that the angels of wisdom had started to integrate more into the main body of Heaven’s culture and had become more prominent and accepted. After his betrayal though, they had once more drifted apart back to their own corner or perhaps to better phrase it, they had been ostracized for merely being of the same angelic type as the mad archangel of wisdom.

It did not make them any less a part of Heaven though and as much as any host, they deserved help even if their current “leader” had sent more than a few terse reports asking for help in restoring their own territory back to its former glory.  
  
Imperius huffed softly to himself before he approached the cluster of make-shift shelters, looking about at the angels of wisdom there. Most were already regarding him with quiet curiosity, their resonances unreadable. Their armor was dark, ranging from a brilliant silver at the brightest, to a black that seemed carved of pure onyx. Although they all had the general form of an angel, many bore disfigured features that one might akin to more demonic lineage such as claws or tail, even swats of molted skin in places. One of those gathered seemed to even have a semblance of teeth glinting from under their hood as the watched Imperius enter their camp.

None of them looked familiar to the archangel of valor and he found himself feeling a bit out of place under their quiet stares, clearing his throat and feeling like he was far too loud for their company when he finally spoke.

“Which one of you is Orieliphus?”

“I am.”

The response was immediate and sounded a tad annoyed. Imperius turned towards the speaker, a somewhat stocky female angel, her armor a dark grey with a slight iridescent purple sheen to it. Her armor bore the familiar spines and pointed look common of wisdom angels. She looked far more angelic than some of her kin, especially the skulking, tailed angel creeping at her side, rubbing his hands together nervously as he looked between her and Imperius

“I received your request about restoration of the pools of wisdom,” Imperius began, trying to keep his earlier agitation out of his voice, “I came to see what needed to be done so the proper orders can be passed along.”

“Personally, I just want the buildings fixed, first and foremost. We don’t have the numbers to fix it on our own, nor the resources,” Orieliphus began, jerking a thumb to the gutted buildings, “And with all the leadership gutted, we haven’t been able to even get anyone to listen to us.”

Imperius gave a small nod, looking to the buildings, “I’ll send a few of my captains to assess the damages and pass it along to what masonries we have. It will take time as we need to assess the damages to the great drill among other things.”

“Oh, we waited around eons for someone to show up after Tyrael wanted nothing to do with us. I’m sure we can wait a few more centuries,” the lead angel of wisdom said with a sarcastic lit to her voice, “As for the other report, concerning the pools themselves, that one I sent on the behalf of those two over there.”

She turned her thumb to the edge of the camp where two massive angels sat, both of them easily as tall as any mortal dwelling with the vague appearance of the once anointed exarchs. The two sat with their heads leaned together, as if whispering to one another, their four arms folded neatly in their laps as they meditated without much care to what was going on around them. Orieliphus shook her head, letting out a small huff, “Those two insist that the pools be restored as soon as possible and have been pestering me day in and day out about sending report after report to summon someone here. I would appreciate if you heard out whatever they want to say before they drive me as mad as Malthael.”

“Ah…” Imperius murmured, “Well then, I’ll make sure to speak to them before I depart.”

“You do that. By the time you finish, I’ll have a proper list of what needs done in this part of Heaven for you to take back and maybe get someone about to help us.” Orieliphus replied.  
  
Imperius’s wings twitched a bit before he gave a nod to her, sighing as he moved towards the two towering angels, tiling his head back to regard them a bit more closely.

Both where enormous with a cut of armor that indicated they were far older than most angels. Parts of the armor was even tarnished in places, as if the two didn’t really care much for looks or upkeep. The two did not say a word as Imperius approached, heads still bowed forward.

The archangel of valor shifted, unsure if he should speak up or interrupt them. Neither of them seemed to have noticed him as they remained quiet and made no indication of glancing towards him. Again, he sighed before raising his voice to speak to them.

“So, you want to-“

“Restore the pools.”  They said together abruptly, causing Imperius to take a small step back.

“Right,” he murmured, clearing his throat, “And you are…?”

The one on the right dipped their head, turning to regard Imperius,“Zakariel.”

The one on the left followed suit, folding his hands in front of him, “Saphoriel.”

Imperius nodded, “And what exactly needs to be done to restore the pools?”

“The pools can be restored-“ Saphoriel began, with a tilt of his head.

“Not easily of course. They no longer have blessed water flowing into them.” Zakariel finished, “And the source of the water-“

“Is unknown to all and the path-“

“-is only known to one.” They finished together.

Imperius sighed, resisting the urge to bury his face against his palm, a habit he had started to pick up from Aldaria, “…can one of you speak plainly and explain what you mean? The back and forth is not the easiest to follow.”

Zakariel and Saphoriel looked at each other for a moment before leaning in to whisper between themselves before Zakariel pulled back with a sigh and sat back more, making himself comfortable, “The pools of the wisdom have gone stagnant ever since Malthael left to unleash the reapers upon Sanctuary,” he began slowly, “We had tried before to find where the source was being blocked, but the trail went into the frozen wastes of the Forlorn Peaks, thus, we believe the problem lies with the source of the pools of wisdom.”

“The source?”

“Where the energy of the pools has flown from since the start of the Heavens,” Saphoriel supplied, “But the path there was known by few and it is knowledge that has been passed down only by word of mouth and never recorded. We believed the pools were lost but now-“

“Now there is a chance to restore them,” Zakariel finished.

The two angels exchange a look before speaking together once more, “Malthael knows the way to the source.”

 

Imperius’s wings tensed as he crossed his arms, eyeing the two, “Malthael is imprisoned.”

“To await trial and execution yes, but before that, it would be prudent to ask him to go to the source to see about restoring the pools,” Zakariel murmured, “No one else knows and-“

“The Forlorn Peaks are the most dangerous place within Heaven. Devoid of light, frozen to temperatures that prevent flight and-“

“The harpies roost there and do not take kindly to trespassing.”

The archangel of valor knew well the legends of the harpies. They were of relation to angels, although they dwelled beyond the reach of the arch’s light. Many a scholar had speculated about how the primitive harpies had formed. Some speculated they formed from the arch in the early days but spread out beyond its light and fell to their baser instincts and reproduced in a more physical manner akin to demons and mortals. Others still speculated that shards of Anu lay within the frozen, broken mountains of the frozen wasteland and it was from these shards that the harpies were born in a way similar to a lightsong of the crystal arch.

Whatever the case, within the realms of Heaven, they were some of the most vicious denizens, fiercely territorial and did not honor any laws that Heaven abided by and were known to attack without much distinction. What made the land even more dangerous was that there was some sort of energy field there that made flight nigh impossible which meant any journey needed to be made on foot up near sheer cliffs, all the while having to deal with the attacks of the harpies who were not so handicapped by whatever interfering energy held the lands beyond the arch’s light beneath the sea of clouds.

It was a suicide mission to even consider going to those wild lands.

It made what the two angel say about Malthael being able to go where armies could not survive all the more incredulous to the archangel of valor.

 “Are you certain Malthael could get there?” Imperius finally asked, unable to keep his skepticism out of his voice.

“He has gone there before with master Magtherius.” Zakariel said with a nod.  
  
“And there again on his own with no ills befalling him.”Sophariel added “He has his own route and seems to know something of the harpies to avoid their ire.”

Imperius’s wings fluttered some as he mused over what they had put forth. Sending troops into the waste to try and find the source was suicide and would only result in death. As far as losses were concerned, sending Malthael out there would not result in some huge loss, however, that would mean letting the former archangel free to roam which would require someone to go along with him as supervision. That, and to ensure he was returned to confinement once the task was completed.

All of this, of course was idly speculation as there was no guarantee anyone would agree to letting Malthael free to do any such excursion or that the former archangel himself would want to make the journey.

“I will speak with the counsel and see if something can be worked out,” Imperius murmured.

“That is all we ask, but if Maltahel is killed-“

“The pools are lost-“

“And that may affect Heaven in the long run-“

“As the pools have existed for as long as the arch has and the two are connected-”

The two huge angels paused to look at each other before looking at Imperius, “Our ancestors called these pools the lifeblood of Heaven. It is worth considering their restoration,” they finished together.

Imperius gave a nod, “I will do all that I can to push for their restoration, I assure you. Every part of heaven must be brought back to its splendor, the pools included.”

“It is enough that you will try.” Zakariel said softly, “We thank you, even if it cannot be done.”

“We understand that there is little love of Malthael, but we hope that will not undermine our survival.” Sophariel murmured.

“Aye…in that sentiment, we have much in common,” Imperius murmured as he turned away from the two to head back to the main camp of the host of wisdom.

Those parting words more or less cut to the core of Imperius’s worries about this whole mess. Not much was known about the pools really as to where they came from and what even supplied the constant stream of calming water. All that was known is the source came from the Forlorn Peaks in the frozen wastelands beyond the border of the city proper and just beyond the touch of the arch’s light. Those that did know were long gone.

Save one who had been trained by the last of the ancient angels and who knew more secrets about Heaven than any angel alive.

Imperius glanced up to take in the sorry state of the pools of wisdom.  In the past, the place had been a bog with how much of the gently glowing blue liquid had flowed to the surface. It had always radiated its own power and from the pools, a mist had always risen, mixing with the gentle cloud cover that had hugged low to the ground before flowing off into the sea of clouds. Small creeks and rivulets had formed to flow into other parts of Heaven to mix with the water that came from the small bit of rain that murmured through the core of Heaven now and again to bring life giving water to the gardens there before flowing off into the wilds below the city proper. Now though, the pools were nothing but small, nearly stagnant springs here and there peaking between overgrowths of weeds and chocking vines. The trees all looked more barren and listless with few of them managing to keep any leaves upon their branches.

It looked like the whole land was slowly dying and there was no telling if that same malaise had crept into Heaven and started to decay other parts as well.

Imperius let out a sigh, shaking his head and already knew that it would be just another argument he would have to face as the politics of Heaven grew more complicated. It was an argument though that needed to be made and won somehow though.

As he entered back into the collection of tents that served as the main hub of the broken host of wisdom, Imperius began to search out Orieliphus again to speak with her about the restoration of the buildings, only to pause when he picked up a familiar resonance and spotting the pale blue of Tyrael’s wings as he spoke with the de facto leader of the host. The sight caused him some pause before he slowly approached, feeling a bit suspicious of what the archangel of justice was doing here.  
  
Tyrael and Orieliphus seemed to be finishing their conversation as the latter gave a bow before turning sharply on her heels to stalk off through the camp, another angel of wisdom quickly moving to follow her. The archangel of justice did not turn to greet Imperius as he looked over the notes he had taken, shoulders tense.

“…they don’t disagree with what Malthael did.” Tyrael began softly, “They didn’t participate, but they also don’t think he was entirely wrong.”

“They are not the minority in Heaven. I did not disagree with him Tyrael, until he attacked us.” Imperius responded, “But they are still kin. It takes time to change one’s views.”

“I suppose.” Tyrael sighed, looking over his notes, “This place is practically a ruin now. All the structures will need to be rebuilt.”

Imperius gave a shrug, “Then it will need to be rebuilt. That will be the easier part of restoring this place,” His glace trailed over to one of the small shallow pools that still gathered, his wings tensing, “It seems the source of the water for the pools of wisdom has become blocked and the task of finding out why it has stopped flowing is a hugely complicated matter. It will be something to bring up at our meeting later when our makeshift counsel has gathered.”

“I’m surprised you pushed it back again given how anxious you’ve been to hear what your lieutenant has to report on the ages.” Tyrael said, glancing up at Imperius.

The archangel of valor snorted some, glancing away, “I would rather not bring my temper to such delicate discussions again, especially when this concerns our lost sister.”

Even with how busy the week had been, Imperius had been anxious to hear news of what had become of Auriel. Of course he heard snippets of conversation here and there or there was a passing comment about things, but most of the time spent with other angels was passing along orders, organizing groups to projects that needed immediate attention, and of course, guard duties.

What few trinkets of information he had heard though did not speak of a pleasant fate and it had only serve to drive his own concerns higher.

“I will see you in the council chamber later Tyrael.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“I need to attend to a few things first.” Imperius said, turning away, “Can I trust you then to look after the host of wisdom?”

“I took on the aspect of wisdom before.” Tyrael said quietly, “I’ll do so again, only this time, I’ll make sure to attend to all the duties that come with such a role. You can trust me to see to their well-being personally, despite my own misgivings.”

Imperius gave a nod, feeling a small bit of relief mixed with hope before he vanished away from the pools and appeared again in the halls of valor. He spared a glance in the direction of the series of rooms the mortals had claimed as their own to live in, feeling a pang of desire to go see what Tevar and Rakanoth were up to, but pushed the idea aside, instead forcing himself to continue on to the war room once more.  His mind was burdened by all the information so far that needed to sort and already knowing that soon there would be even more to worry about when Ignaceus gave his official statement on what had happened in all the ages between ow and then.

The pools needed to be restored but that meant convincing everyone else of the importance of the matter and to allow Malthael to be assigned to the task under supervision. That also meant actually convincing the former archangel to help and given how he acted in the conversation earlier that day, that in of itself was another task to tend to.

The weight of these new worries about his resonance must have been more apparent than he thought for as soon as Imperius entered into the war room, Ignaceus glanced up from where he sat going over reports, wings lifting some in concern, “You feel troubled sir.”

“A problem in the pool of wisdom requires Malthael’s attention and his alone,” Imperius grumbled, setting down the document on the table, “And I’m already feeling my temper rise for the arguments I’m going to have not only with the counsel but with him.”

“I suppose if it is for a good cause, the other archangels and those within the inner circle will find it all well and good to let him out for a short jaunt,” Ignaceus said with a shrug, “They are angry, but not beyond reason.”  


Imperius sighed, “But that does not mean Maltahel will help. We have nothing to bargain with but his life and I doubt it will sit well to sentence him without trial…”

Ignaceus gave a thoughtful nod, “Mm. I suppose that is a problem, especially when there might not be time to sort it out.”

The archangel of valor slowly looked up at his lieutenant and could feel a sinking pit in his soul, “What do you mean?”

“Someone has been going on, starting to sow dissonance in the ranks.” Ignaceus said, looking over to Imperius. “Rumors and stories being passed around, opinions shared with others. Even in our own host, there is a great stir of discontent for having Malthael here.”

“And I suppose you know who it is causing all this dissonance?”

“You and I both know who it is.” Ignaceus drawled, looking back down to the report in his hand, “Inarius is applying his silver tongue liberally to any ear that will listen to him for half a breath. For now though, it is only a general unease murmuring below the surface, but I do not doubt it will be fanned higher and higher as the days go on. He’s gotten a small following with some of the younger angels of our ranks, those who do not see any crime in the creation of Sanctuary.”

Imperius let out a growl and felt his temper flare all over again. He knew Inarius did not like Malthael and had been very vocal about having him put to death. He had not expected him to start speaking to others so readily about it nor that he would so quickly gain a margin of influence in Heaven.

It seemed he had underestimated how well Inarius could weave his words to pull at the emotions of others once more. Just as he had in the past, he was building up a following of his own for whatever purpose he was slowly putting together.

“I will speak to him about this, that I assure you,” Imperius said, straightening up, “The matter of Malthael will be settled when it is settled. We do not have to rush right to trial and execution.”

“I would tread carefully sir. He’s got some allies now and any punishment directed at him could be twisted out of context,” Ignaceus murmured, “He is about as shrewd as angels come.”

Imperius paused, glancing to his lieutenant, “And can I trust you to not be on his side?”

“I care very little for those seeking to cause chaos in the ranks sir,” Ignaceus responded, “I stand with you whatever path you deemed the best to maintain order. I have already lived through the rule of one who let the crowds have what they want, I do not wish to live through another. Not when we just got our home back.”

The archangel of valor gave a small nod, reaching over to clap his lieutenant on the shoulder, “Then you have my confidence as always, brother.”

Ignaceus chuckled, raising a hand up to clap Imperius on the shoulder, “I’ve followed you thus far. I’ve no reason to start changing my ways now. You can’t teach an old war bird like me new tricks.”

Imperius gave a nod, glancing up to check the timepiece that hung on the far wall, wings flitting, “We should head towards the meeting. The others will be gathering now.”

“Aye, they will. I’m sure though people are starting to put together the pieces of what happened…”

“Some of it but…” Imperius sighed, “I’d rather get the complete picture from someone who saw it all take place.”  
  
Ignaceus let out a humorless chuckle, “I know what happened, at the very least.”

Imperius raised a hand to rub over the corruption on his chest, giving a small nod, “It is more than we knew before and can help us to figure out the path forward.”

The archangel of valor glanced down at the corruption briefly. It hadn’t gained any major ground of late. Its spread had slowed some given he was doing his best to contain his temper and his tendency to lash out, but every day, it always seemed to gain at least a few inches more. His chest was engulfed and his left shoulder as well. The right was starting to take on small creeping black strands of corruption as well. Claws had now formed on both hands and his back was starting to turn, small spines starting to emerge.

He knew the others looked upon him with pity although none said anything.

No one had to tell him his time was starting to trickle out and yet he still had so much to accomplish still.

“Let us be gone then,” Imperius finally said at length, “The delay has been drawn out enough.”

All it took was a thought to teleport to the core of Heaven, just below where the arch sat. Imperius only needed to wait a moment for Ignaceus to appear at his side, the angel, much like most luminarei, having mastered the art of teleportation much in the same fashion as Imperius.  The archangel of valor spared a glance and a nod to him before leading the way forward.

The grand chambers where the Angiris council once held court stood empty to the right of him. Imperius merely glanced in its direction before heading away and down the hall towards a smaller, more private room. There were times the counsel had taken up matters out of the public eye. Typically it was matters that were not as important or ones Malthael deemed a concern that only the council should be privy to.

He was not the first to arrive as Itherael was already there with Aladria by his side, the two talking softly.  
  
Imperius entered the room, and gave a polite nod of the head to the two, “I’m sorry for the delay in the meeting. A few things came up and I needed time to get my thoughts in order.”  
  
“It is fine. Honestly, it was a minor blessing really,” Itherael responded with a chuckle, “We had a small group of angels of hope come in that needed time to get them settled.”   
  
“I really do appreciate you taking in Auriel’s host along with your own.” Imperius said, moving to take his own seat, Ignaceus moving to sit beside him, “It is hard enough to keep track of those of my own coming in.”

Itherael gave a wave of his hand, “It is fine. Auriel and I often kept our hosts close together and if things were reversed between us, I know she would have done the same in caring for my host.”

Imperius nodded, glancing up as Tevar shuffled in, Rakanoth on his heels. The mortal yawned some before slumping into a chair near Imperius while the demon lord settled himself into a crouch in a nearby corner, letting out a yawn of his own and exposing the full array of teeth he had. Itherael huffed lightly, eyeing the demon with obvious distaste.

“Why is he here?”

“Perhaps something said will jog his memory on a detail he forgot to mention before,” Imperius glanced to the demon lord, “And he has proven his merit as far as I’m concerned.”

Rakanoth chuckled some, stretching out more onto his belly, resting his chin upon the wirsts of his arms, just above the savage blades, “If anything sound familiar, I’ll speak up. I have no reason to keep any secrets given I want to see the lords of Hell suffer.”

“How lovely.” Itherael grumbled, shaking his head and glancing up, “So, we are still waiting on Tyrael and Inarius then…”

 “I’m here at least, although I can’t account for my brother has gotten to.”

Imperius felt his hackles raise slightly when he heard Inarius’s voice, turning to regard the former prisoner of Hell with a ripple of displeasure. Inarius for his part, ignored the slight ripple that cascaded off the archangel of valor as he moved to take his own seat.   
  
“He was helping to settle in the angels of wisdom and assess damages of the pools last I saw him,” Imperius murmured, “And I want to make it clear, we are not speaking about Malthael at this meeting. This is about the fate of our sister Auriel and understanding all that has happened while we were gone.”

“Of course,” Inarius said breezily, “There is time later to talk about when we can have his farce of a trial and finally stop dragging our feet on his execution.”

Itherael shifted uncomfortably, raising a hand to clear his throat, “Mmm…so, has Malthael spoken at all?”

“He is being…rather difficult, but in time I’m sure he will…open up more,” Imperius responded.   
  
Tevar snorted, “I heard he chases off everyone who tries to interrogate him. At least, that is what the valor angels that are always flitting about Rakanoth and I are saying.”

“The pigeons like to gossip. And play games.” Rakanoth said with a chuckle, “They are making a game of trying to out roar me…”

“Ira was pretty loud last time. All puffed up. Thought you two were going to fight, or at least, was waiting for her to fight,” Tevar chuckled, shaking his head. “I can’t tell if the valor angels are tolerating you or wanting to murder you.”

“A little of both.” Ignaceus responded with a shrug.

The doors to the room opened again as Tyrael came in quickly, giving a slight bow of his head, “I’m sorry I’m late. Something came up-“

“You are fine, Tyrael. Have a seat.” Imperius responded, gesturing to the open chair beside Inarius. “We are in no rush.”

Tyrael nodded as he slipped into his seat beside Inarius. Imperius glanced about the table, before giving a nod to a guard at the door who quietly moved to pull the council door shut, leaving them to their relatively privacy to talk.

“I’m sorry for the delay in this meeting. I’m sure all here are eager to know what has happened in the long years since the ages past to now and even more so, the fate of our sister Auriel,” Imperius began, folding his hands in front of him, “I can only hope what is said here can give us clarity of what our next step forward will be.”

He paused to look over to the angel that sat next to him, giving a nod, “I turn the floor over now to Ignaceus, second-in-command of the host valor and my most trusted lieutenant to give us his account of the events that have taken place when we were absent and what has become of the archangel of hope as well. You may begin whenever you wish Ignaceus.”

The lieutenant of valor nodded and was silent for a moment, staring at his folded hands before letting out a sigh, “It is hard to know where to begin and I probably won’t do justice to what happened. I will keep things as objective as possible though.”

 

Ignaceus fell silent again, wings flitting out before drawing in close, not raising his gaze from his hands. For a moment, it didn’t’ seem like he would speak at all, his posture tense, before he let out another soft sigh, lifting his head to look over those assembled at the table, “Things were a mess in Heaven. Between the appeasements to the mortals and the general discontent in Heaven, myself and the other lieutenants of valor felt it was in our best interest to leave if we were to preserve ourselves. Given Imperius’s view of mortals, we did feel like in time, we too would be thrown to the mortals as sacrifices to appease their cries for justice.”

Itherael tensed ever so slightly, glancing away at Ignaceus’s words, but held his silence as the lieutenant continued to speak.

“For a time, we settled in Pandemonium, but as tension rose and Hell’s armies grew more bold, it was decided that we move to the relative safety of Sacntuary. We kept out of sight, and kept to the untamed wilds of the world and in places no mortal could reach easily. By all accounts, we made it as if we vanished from this reality entirely and that perhaps saved us from the horror that took place after Itherael vanished.”

Ignaceus’s voice trailed off, his words wavering just a bit. His resonance held sorrow with an underlining thread of anger that caused Imperius’s corruption to shudder in delight. The lieutenant’s second lapse into silence though did not last long as he slumped back in his chair some.  
  
“Auriel was left alone in Heaven and the pressure she was put under by all sides was immense, so the reports said. She was constantly away to handle affairs in Sanctuary, trying to find a peace between angels and mortals, but for having such short lives, mortals hold incredible grudges and the going was slow. Not to mention there were only three of the original nephelem heroes left to help and both opted to retire to a quiet life away from the world, tending to their own lives and families. After the destruction of Pandemonium and the loss lives of their comrades…I don’t think they had any fight left in them, no more strength to give. Auriel was alone.” He let out a quiet, bitter laugh, “It was really no wonder she would take comfort in the arms of a mortal given Heaven itself was turning on her.”

“Pennabriar?” Itherael asked.

The reaction to the name was not one that Imperius had expected. The lieutenant went rigid, his wings flaring in a sign of agitation and absolute hatred and disgust radiated off him as his hands clasped tighter together on the table.

“Aye. The mortal façade that took up the name Penabriar.” Ignaceus sneered, “It was the cleverest lie that Hell ever unleashed.”

Imperius felt his core go cold, “What?”

A bitter laugh escaped Ignaceus as he shook his head, “Penabriar was a mortal, so we thought. Some noble of Westmarch that was new to the political scene. He was not a man of great wealth, but he was a sympathetic voice for Auriel. He championed her cause and voice in the politics of mortals. He eased her burden and the two grew close. No one suspected anything, except one and his warnings were written off as treason and babblings of a madman.”

 

Imperius felt himself tense, looking over at his lieutenant and feeling a pit of dread, “…who was Penadbriar?”

Ignaceus bowed his heads, wings pulling tight to his back. His entire form was quaking and his resonance was a song of absolute distress that Imperius had never heard from the usual stoic angel. The next words that Ignaceus spoke were like the utterance of all Imperius’s worse nightmares come together, spelling out a doom more potent than anything Diablo himself could create.

“Penabriar was Mephisto.”Ignaceus finally choked out, “Penabriar was nothing more than his mortal disguise.”

Imperius felt his entire resonance run cold at the news, wings flaring. He could feel the horror that filled the others at the table at the news. Even Inarius pulled back with a slight shudder of disgust.

“How was he not sensed? His evil…his evil is not something easily hidden.” Ithereal managed out, voice trembling.

“He weaved his disguise well. How he pulled it off, I’m not privy to. But the bastard married Auriel under his disguise of Penabriar and convinced her to become mortal, forsaking her angelhood. Convinced her that the life of a mortal was better and that she would be free of all the weight of Heaven and free to do as she pleased.”

Tyrael was staring hard at the table, hands tight in fists against he wood, “You said there was one who tried to warn you…”

“Aye,” Ignaceus murmured, “I don’t know how he came across it, but Hadriel found out. How he came across it, I do not know. All I know is he came out of wherever he had vanished to all these years, ranting and raving warnings that had him exiled from Heaven. No one believed him. Even we, after taking him in had a hard time comprehending the story he weaved.”

The archangel of justice shook his head, “But why? Why not believe Hadriel? He has always been loyal, always forthcoming in the past. He was one of my best lieutanants!”

“They claimed he suffered the same madness as his sire,” Ignaceus murmured, “That he was as crazy as Malthael with his claims. Auriel did not want to hear his words nor deal with him, so he was exiled. We at least came around to the truth to try and save as many as we could. Mephisto was pulling strings for angelic cullings…that is…that is when we found Itherael.”

“And you locked me away.” The archangel of fate said quietly.

“It was for your protection. If we had at least one archangel, maybe…” Ignaceus looked away, “We were pushed back and we collapsed the cavern to keep them from getting to you. We did all we could to keep Mephisto from his victory but…he had already won.”

The lieutenant shook his head, one hand coming up to cover his face as he went silent again. His shoulders trembled as he fought to keep control of his emotions to finish his account, “Under the guise of Penabriar and with a now mortal Auriel at his side, he walked in Heaven freely, declaring all angels would live in Sanctuary, that there was no reason to keep our two people separeated. Those who did not comply were removed by force by the new, growing host of hope that hung onto Auriel’s every command, not realizing that she had been charmed by a horrific lie. Once all of Heaven was empty, it was locked. It was Hadriel who managed to create a single loophole, keeping El’druin tied to the lock before spirting the blade away to Tyrael’s tomb and mounting a proper guard therein.”

A broken laugh escaped Ignaceus as he lifted his head to look about the table at those gathered silently before him, “Mephisto defeated us without the use of an army. He gutted us from the inside out and then things only grew worse.”

“What happened?” Tyrael asked softly.

The linetnant couldn’t keep the sorrow in his voice at bay, Ignaceus finally starting to crack as he related the story, “Auriel bore the spawn of Mephisto,” He choked out, “They spawned the first true nephelem since the dawn of Sanctuary’s creation. Powerful and vicious, twisted by their father’s words and bared from their betrayed mother, they were unleashed on Sanctuary, carving a path of bloody genocide across continents…we…we wanted to fight back, but Hadriel insisted we go into hiding if we wanted to survive. It was put to a vote and we faded away again, out of sight, out of mind, watching the mortals tear themselves apart in bloody wars and civil unrest that would make what Malthael did look tame.”

“Where is Hadriel now?” Tyrael asked quietly.

“Gone. We don’t know where he is. If he is alive or not. He was prone to long times away, becoming a deep agent to try and figure out Hell’s plan.” Ignaceus said quietly, “He has not reported back in nearly a decade now.”

Itherael shook his head, leaning forward, his face buried in both his hands. Aladria was already wrapping her arms about him to comfort the grieving archangel of fate. She looked over to Igncaceus, biting her lip, “…and what happened to Auriel?”

“Mephisto revealed the deception and…I know it broke her but there was little she could do now as a mortal. From what few members of her flight escaped the slaughter that came soon after, Mephisto took her captive, keeping his prize alive by who knows what unholy means.”

Rakanoth lifted his head, “…it was much talked about that the lord Mephisto, in his lair in Sanctuary, kept angels captive for the pleasure of his disciples…I did not know he had nephelem children as well.”

“Only those present at the time would know.” Ignaceus said quietly, “All of it was wiped from history. The Penabriar dynasty, now headed by the third and last spawn, continues to suppress the past and information, capturing anything that would break the ‘perfect world’ he has created.”

“…by any chance would that fuck human we met be the latest spawn?” Tevar growled, eyes narrowed.

“Yes, that would be him.” Ignaceus murmured, spite in his voice, “A first generation Nephelem will not age as other mortals do after all. His siblings at least have been slain. The first, by the hands of his own siblings, the second, by her father’s own claws. Mephisto wanted to make a point of who still ruled the roost I suppose.”

Imperius felt his entire form tremble as his anger rose. The hatred broiled in him and he felt the corruption surge but he couldn’t’ find it in him to contain what had happened. Mephisto had Auriel, had been insidious in his capture of her, and even now, perhaps still tormented her as he gloated over his victory. It made the fact the prime evil had corrupted him all the more infuriating. With but a flick of a claw, Mephisto had once more jeopardized Heaven and threatened to destroy its leadership, hiding it behind honeyed words and promises.

Unlike his brothers, Mephisto had been patient and played a far longer, more clever game to win the eternal conflict.  

“Why did he not corrupt the arch if he was here?” Tyrael asked softly, “He could have completely removed Heaven.”

“I do not know.” Ignaceus admitted, “Perhaps he only wanted to make it hurt more that he destroyed Heaven without lifting a single claw, allowing us to do all the work for him. Maybe it was simply because the arch itself was no longer of interest in its weaken state. Whatever the case, he let it be, content to simply seal Heaven away from us forever.”

The table fell silent and the feelings that ran about the table was tinged with an aching despair, of horror at Auriel’s fate. Itherael hadn’t lifted his head, the guilt raging inside him a throbbing cascade that radiated outwards in anguish. Imperius’s hands clenched, wanting nothing more than to find the demon lord and rip him apart then and there.

“Where is she now?” Tevar finally asked, breaking the silence, “If she is alive, we know our means of moving and grooving. We save everyone.” He slammed his fist on the table, “We have to find that lair!”

“I do not know where it is, but I can help narrow down where.” Rakanoth spoke up, his voice a low growl, “I do not want the bastard to have any victory, not when I wish him to know the taste of true despair!”

Imperius lifted his head to look to the two before nodding himself, wings tensing, “Itherael, do everything you can to find where this bastard laired. Ignaceus, do you have any deep agents active?”

“I have a few eyes and ears, a couple lines of communication I can tap.” He said, “But Hadriel was the only deep agent that was able to move in the ranks of Hell. You know as well as I, the make of his resonance was unique, given his parentage. Getting in contact with him though is impossible less he reaches out first and I have no idea where he is or if he still lives.”

“We can’t use the scroll to find him and his fate,” Itherael said hands clenching tight, “I can look online, but I don’t know if that will help any,” he paused before lifting his head, “…but…what about the Chalad’ar?”

There was a moment of tense silence before Inarius broke it, scoffing lightly, “And what would that old relic help any?”

“It holds answers.” Tyrael said quietly, “If it is still in Heaven.”  
  
“Yes but it has remained empty since it was thrown, the water within spilled.” Itherael murmured, “And the pools have vanished to nothing but mere puddles, not enough to fill the chalice again with pure, uncloudy water. Not to mention none but Malthael know how to properly prepare the water within.”

Imperius was silent. The words of the wisdom angels regarding the pools resonated within him about what was needed to restore the pools and have them once more flow. If Chalad’ar could be restored, then it could be used again.

And now, there was a reason Malthael would help.

“There might be a way to restore the pools and thus restore Chalad’ar.” Imperius began slowly,“The angels of wisdom believe the source of the pools is blocked and it lies within the Forlorn Peaks. According to them, Malthael is able to traverse the land to reach the source, giving us the chance to get the water flowing to the pools once more.”

“We don’t need the chalice-“Inarius began, tone terse only to draw back as Impeirus slammed his hands on the table, rising to his feet.

“Nothing changes about Malthael! He will stand trial for what was done in the past, but this is beyond him! This is about restoring Heaven, restoring our lands, and trying to find Hadriel by any means we can!” Imperius roared, “Malthael will not be sent alone. I will go with him to the source so the way is known for the future!”

“I will go with you.” TYrael said softly, “I do not trust Malthael and it is better to have more eyes on him if we let him free.”

“But why would he help?” Aladria asked, “From what I heard, he doesn’t seem too keen on helping anyone...”

Imperius was silent for a moment before looking about the table, “It is in the very person we seek actually. Hadriel.”

“What’s so special about him?” Tevar asked, “Is he some best friend? Lover? He owes Malthael money?”

“No,” Imperius snapped, irritation thick in his voice,“Hadriel is the only living angel that Malthael formed. His only living…child I suppose is the mortal way of putting it.”

“He vanished after the assault on the Hellforge by mortal heroes. Malthael was looking for him before the World Stone was shattered,” Tyrael said quietly.

“And afterwards.” Ignaceus murmured, “We had reports of reapers combing odd areas of Sanctuary during his attack.”

Imperius gave a small nod, “As distant as they were, he was one of the few angels in Heaven Malthael truly cared greatly for. Especially after the loss of his other fledgling at a young age to the eternal conflict.”

It was a much more complicated situation than that though. Malthael had never thought himself capable of really raising fledglings for whatever reason. When Hadriel had formed, to the surprise of Malthael and his partner at the time, he had beseeched Tyrael to take the young angel in and raise him as a proper member of Heaven. From what Imperius could remember, Hadriel and Malthael were on rather civil terms, although they had rather large differences of opinion.

And given Hadriel was born of those who held no song, his own resonance had been rather unique allowing him to project himself across great distances and easily take on disguises of both mortals and demons to enter into the ranks of Heaven’s enemies to gain crucial intel.

 “I will speak to him about assisting us.” Imperius said quietly, “Hopefully his desire to find Hadriel has not lessened and remains a viable means of getting his compliance in some small part.”

“So, with that decided on, what’s the deal with this Forlorn Peaks place? Is it like another wild jungle Heaven but colder?”

Tyrael shook his head, “No. It is a dangerous, frozen landscape, nearly completely in darkness beyond the rim of Heaven and below the sea of clouds. It is said to stretch into eternity and was the battlefield between himself and the prime evil Tathamet.”

“Interesting…so I bet you have a lot of books on the place we can look at eh?” Tevar asked, glancing over to the archangel of fate.

Itherael let out a humorless chuckle, “Oh yes. A footnote in a few books here and there. Tales of horror that have never been proven and a few snippets about how much of a vicious annoyance harpies are.” Itherarel shook his head, “Very little is known about it.”

“Sounds like an interesting place to visit,” Tevar said, rubbing his hands together, “I suppose I will need a parka as mountains are always chilly.”  
  
“Tevar-“

“You can’t say I’m not going. I am going. You need me. I’m your emotional support nephalem!” Tevar declared, grinning wide, “And I want to see all of Heaven, not just the pretty city!”

Aladria chuckled some, “If he goes, I’m going this time. I’m not about to be left behind again as you to run off. Besides, you might need my support.”

Itherael tensed, looking to the mortal scholar, “Aladria-“

“I’ll be fine. We’ve been fine this far,” She assured him quickly, moving to lace her fingers with his, “And as a scholar, I can’t have such poor records of a place! I will take diligent notes and make sure we got a complete account of the place.”

“If you are going then I’m going.” Itherael murmured, “I’m not about to let you go running off into danger.”

Imperius shook his head, “No Itherael. I need you hear keeping an eye on the mortal world and gathering information.”

“But Imperius-“

“If Tyrael and myself are already going, we cannot risk having all of us take on this risk. We need you hear to continue to maintain and watch over the hosts until we return.” Imperius interrupted, “Not to mention to ensure that no further dissonance is riled up.”

He looked pointedly at Inarius who merely tilted his head as if he had no idea what the archangel of valor was referring to. The slight amusement in Inarius’s resonance though spoke different. The former prisoner was no doubt laughing behind his innocent façade and already planning to stir up things more. Imperius felt his entire resonance roil but for now, did not confront Inarius as he was reminded of Ignaceus’s warning.

“Tyrael, myself, and the two mortals will go.” Imperius said,, “If Malthael does know a way safely through the dark wastes then it should be relatively safe. Either way, I have learned it is best not to argue sense with mortals.”

Tevar grinned wide, reaching over to pat Imperius’s shoulder, “See? He can learn that nothing can undo mortal stubbornness.”

Itherael shifted some, wings flicking out some, “This is not a wise move. Those lands are-‘

“Dangerous, I know,” Imperius snapped, “I’ll make sure they do not come to harm.”

The archangel of valor looked about the table. He could feel the tension that had grown out of the news that had be clarified as well as the guilt and sorrow that swam in almost every resonance for what had become of Auriel.

If she still lived, Imperius could only imagine the torment she was being put through.

What worried Imperius the most though was what might have become of her mental state. Inarius for sure had changed, and not for the better. There was something colder and more vicious about his resonance now and perhaps an undertone of insanity that was slowly starting to be exposed. It only made Imperius more concerned that something similar could happen to Auriel, turning her from a beacon of hope to a shell of her former self.

If she was alive and they managed to save her at all.

“I’ll go to speak with Malthael as soon as possible to see if he can be persuaded to help. I want some time to prepare for dealing with him. Ignaceus, take the mortals and outfit them properly for this venture tomorrow. Tyrael, go with Ithereal to see if any information can be found buried in the library.”

Itherael let out a sigh, shaking his head, “I told you all that there is. Records of that place are scarce for good reason. We know about as much of that place as we do of the inner bowels of Hell. Really in fact, we know more about Hell than that place.”

“That is odd…I would think you would know Heaven better than Hell…” Tevar said, arching an eyebrow.   
  
“Reconnaissance of Hell was made a priority during the Eternal conflict, and even so, most of Hell is still largely unknown say snippets of information…” Imperius grumbled. “Most of the information on Hell is still speculation.”

“Exactly.” Itherael snapped, “We don’t even have speculations on these lands. Only what few stories and tidbits of information that was passed down by our ancient ancestors.”

“It doesn’t matter what we know or don’t know! We are going into that frozen abyss with Malthael and that is final!” Imperius snapped, wings flaring, “This is no longer up for debate! What is needed to be done will be done and I swear, if any of you utters another word of protest, I’ll let Rakanoth use you as a chew toy!”  
  
The demon lord perked up some, baring his teeth in an eager grin. Tevar snorted some, shaking his head as he rose to his feet, “Imperius, you are starting to sound like an angry father on a roadtrip with unruly kids and it is concerning. Considering out of all of us, you used to be the most unruly.”

“Times change I suppose.” Ignaceus said with a shrug, stepping up to the two mortals with a bow of his head, “Come, there is much that needs prepared for you two. I recall mortals are more ah, susceptible to extreme cold.”

“Time to bundle up then!” Tevar said with a grin over at Aladria, “Parkas, gloves, and boots as far as the eye can see for us.”

Aladria chuckled some, “Lead the way then.”

Imperius didn’t linger to hear any protest, already stalking out the door, although he gestured for Rakanoth to follow him. The demon was quick to settle in on his heels and after a moment, leaned in to speak quietly to Imperius, a low growl in his voice.

“I noticed you did not make mention of me going with you…”

“I need you here.” Imperius responded, cocking his head to the side, just enough to ensure they were alone before speaking again, “You need to keep an eye on Inarius and what he is up to and find some way to subtly keep him from riling all of Heaven up.”

The demon lord tilted his head, “Subtly you say…?”

“Are you not the lord of despair? I was under the assumption you could project the aura of your sin to some degree.”

The demon chuckled some, lowering his head, “I’m shocked, my lord. Asking a demon to use his influence on another angel to try and keep them in line.”

“He can say what he wants,” Imperius snapped, “I am not censoring his message. I merely want to keep the peace a little longer until this whole thing is sorted out and I can deal with his bloodlust. I only ask if he makes any move that would all but shatter what has been created here, you misdirect it somehow.”

The demon tilted his head, “You are putting a lot of trust in me.”

“You did not have to keep the doors open and risk your own life, Rakanoth,” Imperius responded, glancing to the demon, “I do not think you are eager to betray me just yet.”

The lord of despair dipped his head, “I did what was needed to save your life. As repayment for saving mine.” The demon paused for a moment, looking away, “…demons do not save one another nor put themselves at personal risk like that. It is…a strange sentiment. Not one I would think an angel of Heaven would want to share.”

“Perhaps in the past I would have agreed with you. But…certain things give new perspective to the conflict.”  
  
Imperius traced a hand over his own corruption, his other hand clenching into a fist. There was no doubt that Hell was vile and that many of its denizens needed nothing short of a swift death but that did not mean all demons were beyond redemption or their evil any worse than a vicious predator doing what was necessary for its own survival.

If an angel could fall to Hell, could not a demon be redeemed to Heaven?

“Tell me, Rakanoth, is there anyone you have cared about?”

The demon cocked his head at the strange question before giving a small nod, “A few I would say fall into that category.”

“And what lengths would you go to save them, if you could?”

The demon snorted, looking away, “As I said before, Imperius. That is not a demonic sentiment. We don’t save each other.” He paused for a moment though, going silent before letting out a soft hiss, “…but if I could defend those individuals, I would. There are some things I no longer wish to lose.”

Imperius regarded the demon for a moment before giving a small nod, “That is good to know. I don’t suppose I know any of those you want to protect now?”

“Maybe.” The demon said with a chuckle, “Maybe you do.”

The archangel of valor moved to one of the balconies that overlooked the city, letting his gaze trace over the spires as he let the news of Auriel’s fate sink in. Mephisto had always been a clever demon to be sure, one does not so easily gain the title of ruler of Hell for being easy to predict. Not to mention that the demon had shown his cunning in orchestrating the dark exile to Sanctuary and then the manipulation of the soul stones.  Idly Imperius wondered if Diablo’s whole plot to take Heaven had been in part planned by Mephisto as well as some part of his grander scheme.

“Rakanoth, do you know what became of the other prime evils or lesser evils?”

“Vaguely. Rumors mostly.” The lord of despair responded with a shrug, settling down to sit at Imperius’s side, “But rumors in Hell usually are worth little attention other than to try and collect as many to see if some truth can be found.”

“What became of Diablo?”

Rakanoth chuckled, “Mulling over your old rival hm?”

“He is not usually so quiet.”

The lord of despair tipped his head back thoughtfully, “By the time I was summoned back to the Burning Hells, the rumor was one of Mephisto’s spawn had killed them and obliterated their essence. One says Baal betrayed the other two and killed Diablo before he was stopped. Still another says both are alive and well, lying low, biding their time to snap back at their brother. Whichever the case, I’ve not seen either.”

“And the lesser evils?”

“Oh, here and there or dead. Belial  is a rat hiding in some tunnel, scared to come out, his name spoken as a the butt of most jokes now. Azmodan mmm….rumor has he was slain trying to take Mephisto’s crown again. Andariel and Duriel, I haven’t heard of, odd given that the former of the two was ah…close with me.”

“Close…?”

“I think you could call us liter mates.” Rakanoth explained with a chuckle, “And thus we worked close together, but such things change quickly for demons. Such things fade.”

Imperius glanced to the demon briefly before shaking his head, looking out over Heaven, “No loyalty among sin hm?’

“That is how you survive in Hell. Not like here though. It is strange I almost feel more relaxed among my ancient enemy than my own kin,” Rakanoth chuckled, leaning in some, “So many questions tonight though my lord. You are making me blush.”

The archangel of valor snorted, wings pulling in close and a slight flush rising to his armor, “I merely wanted something…mundane to talk about. Something I do not have to worry about.”

“Idle chatter about Hell though?”

“It seems something you would know a lot about.” Imperius grumbled, “That is the only reason I brought it up.”

Rakanoth laughed some, settling down  to be on level with Imperius, grinning wide as he nosed forward slowly, “You are blushing.”

“I am not fond of your sudden flirtatious mannerism of late.”

“I cannot help what I’m fond of and I see no reason to keep it to myself like some shy golgor.” Rakanoth responded with a shrug.

“A shy-“ Imperius shook his head, turning away and starting to stalk off, “I do not even want to know.”

Rakanoth cackled as he followed along behind Imperius, “You are such a treasure, Imperius.”

“And you are this close to being thrown over the nearest balcony, Rakanoth.” Imperius growled, “Do not tempt me!”

“Oh my, you seemed keyed up. Perhaps you should rest my lord? A good book, some dancing alone in the moonlight? I saw in a mortal movie that they will rage dance to catchy music to express their displeasure with the world. I think they called the movie Cutloose?”

Imperius paused, glancing at the demon, “…they have mortal dancing movies?”

“Very interesting to watch. Perhaps you want to see it? It is in the pile of videos. I remember what the cover looked like.” Rakanoth suggested. “And we can make so much popcorn yes.”

The archangel of valor hesitated. The offer sounded…nice actually. No need to think about anything and relax for a few moments before he would have to confront Malthael for the second time that day. A sigh escaped him at last as she shook his head, “No. Not now. Perhaps…another time.” He murmured, “I need to speak with Malthael again.”

The demon let out a small hiss, shoulders slumping, “As you say then, my lord. Let’s get the business done with them.”

“I don’t recall inviting you to come.”

“I am bored of following Tevar.” The demon said, “I would rather follow you now.”

“Then you can wait outside while I speak to him for, like Tevar, you seemed to have a talent for pushing people’s buttons with your smart mouth.”

Rakanoth let out a low chuckle, “I am a demon after all, lord Imperius. I cannot help my nature.”

The archangel of valor let out a snort, shaking his head before he focused his attention away, teleporting across Heaven to the doors of the prison. The two guards jumped before quickly giving a salute. Both jumped again, gripping onto their weapons when Rakanoth appeared behind Imperius, grinning toothly.

“Stay here until I return.”

“I know. Call me if you need me to drool all over him again for you.” Rakanoth said, settling down to sit, grinning at the two guards who were eying him back.

Imperius shook his head with a sigh, “Dully noted, Rakanoth…” he murmured before entering once more into the prison of yearning and descending down to Malthael’s cell.

The former archangel of wisdom was more or less in much of the same position as before, once more sitting at the table with a book open before him. The title proclaimed it was some sort of collection of mortal short stories, an odd choice, but Imperius wondered if Itherael had intentionally sent books that the archangel of wisdom would have little interest in unless he was bored out of his mind.

 

“I wasn’t expecting you to come back so soon, Imperius,” Malthael said, not looking up from his book, “Given how upset you were when we last parted.”

“I do not come here to trade words with you Malthael. I come here with a request.” Imperius snapped, in no mood for Malthael’s games, “The pools of wisdom have dried up. The source seems to have become blocked, and according to the words of your kin, the only one who knows how to navigate the frozen peaks to the source of the water is you.”

The archangel of wisdom chuckled, closing his book, “They speak true, but I do not see how this concerns me or why I, of all angels would want to accept any request of you and your kin.”

“I don’t expect you to help us out of any sincerity in your heart,” Imperius growled, “Or even out of a desire to see your realm restored or Heaven returned to its former glory. So I’ll be frank. We need to restore the pools so Chalad’ar can be used once more in order to help us locate Hadriel.”

There was a long moment of silence from Malthael at the mention of the angel’s name. The only movement that could be perceived was the faintest stiffening of his wings as he sat there, both hands resting upon the book he had been reading.

“Why are you seeking him now after all this time?”  
  
“He returned to Heaven after your fall and he came with a warning for Auriel that went unheeded, leading to her capture by the fiend. She may yet be alive, but the only deep agent in Hell is Hadriel and from what has been reported, he’s been missing for a decade now,” Imperius explained quietly, gaze fixed on the ground, “I know you care little for what becomes of us, but if there is any part of you that remains from before, if there is any empathy or love left in your resonance for others, then let it be to help us now. To help Auriel. To find Hadriel.”

Malthael remained silent and unmoving as if he was turned to stone. His gaze was fixed ahead. His fingers tensed, curling against the cover of the book, causing the sharp, claw-like points of his gauntlets to drag over the material of the book. That small movement was the only indication of the silent conflict raging on with the former archangel.

“You ask much of me Imperius.”

“I want to believe that something of who you are has endured, Malthael.” Imperius retorted, leaning one arm against the bars, “I want to believe that I still know who you are at your core.”

The former archangel’s wings flicked, rasping together and creating a low murmur as he continued to dig a claw into the book, tearing at it more so. The silent lasped on longer this time, his head bowed forward as he curled in on himself some.

For all his talk of being sane, in that moment, Imperius saw a glimpse of something far more broken. Malthael wasn’t lashing out nor was he ranting and raving, speaking of his goals and twisted logic. It was more the fact he wasn’t speaking at all, acting more like he had when he was a fledgling, trying to pretend no one else exsisted as he curled up in the corner, covering his head. The cover of the book was being shredded without Maltahel seeming to notice. Imperius could practically see the struggle in his body language to get his thoughts in order and try to answer and push back the sudden regression of behaviors he was exhibiting.

In that moment, Malthael looked like an angel who was not of sound mind.

It was only when the tip of his gauntlet caught against the spine, causing the whole book to jerk, that he seemed to snap back to attention, quickly looking up at Imperius, wings tensed like a guarded beast before he looked away.

 “I have nothing to gain by helping you.” He finally said, “You will still see me punished for what I did.”

“Yes. The trial will still proceed. This will not affect whatever outcome that will bring.”

Malthael’s gaze fell to the ruined book before him, both hands tensing against the table, dragging the sharpened points of his gauntlets against the brittle wood, “You’ll have me executed regardless of what is said.”

“I do not seek your death, Malthael. Some may, but they are of no sounder mind than you and I am doing what I can to allow you to live.” Imperius said quietly, “I want to help you, not destroy you.”

The former archangel did not turn his gaze towards Imperius, “Why?”

“Because a moment of wickedness does not erase years of you doing what was right, keeping us safe, ruling Heaven and building it up beyond what our ancestors had only dreamed. Your crime is great, but you were not like this, not before.”

Malthael let out a humorless laugh, “You truly do know so little about me.”

“No, I think you know so little about yourself,” Imperius retorted. “You are not beyond help if you would just accept it.”   
  
Imperius words only caused Malthael to let out another laugh, “Ah, now you are sounding like Magtherius…”

“One of us is at least.”   
  
Malthael fell silent at those words, looking down at the torn book and starting to pick idly at the cover again, “Will you be able to find Hadriel and Auriel if I help?”

“Our chances of success increase at the very least.”

Malthael nodded before heaving a sigh, glancing away, “Then I will help,” He said quietly, “I will guide you to the heart of the wasteland, to the heart of Heaven itself. All I request is that the path there is not revealed. If the arch is to every fall, it will be the heart of Heaven that will be our final salvation.”

“The heart of Heaven?”

“All things are connected Impeirus, and there is more to Heaven than just the arch. More than you know. Secret places and artifacts of power that, like the worldstone, provided their own energy to the fabric of creation,” the former archangel murmured rising to his feet, “But all that aside, I will need a weapon if I’m going to take up this request of yours.”

“I thought you knew a safe way through the wastes?”

Malthael chuckled, “I know a less dangerous route, but it is not without a probability of conflict.”

Imperius was silent for a moment before giving a reluctant nod, “A weapon will be provided and we do not go along. Tyrael and the mortals will accompany us.”

“It is not safe for mortals…”

“And they do not listen and will do as they please,” Imperius retorted, “Plan accordingly and do not think for a moment they are expendable.”

Malthael tilted his head, “How curious your opinion has so radically changed.”

Imperius turned away, a hand rising to touch his chest, “They are far more complex than just good and evil. For those that are vile, there is still many more who are good or innocent of the crimes of a few.” Imperius responded, “ If Heaven is to survive, we need to adapt rather than try to live in the glory days of the eternal conflict. War has changed. The risks are greater, and it will take everything we have, every ally we can find, to turn things around.”

The former archangel of wisdom was silent, regarding Imperius with a tilt of his head before turning away, moving to pick up a piece of parchment, “Tomorrow at noon, we will head out. I need time to plan the journey. Once we get to the source, we can see what has caused the pools to wither.”

“…thank you Malthael.”

“I do not do this for Heaven. I care little for it now.” Malthael said tersely, “I do this for Hadriel and Auriel.  Whatever becomes of me, see that they are given a safe haven.”

“I will do everything in my power to help them.” He paused, glancing over his shoulder, “and to help you too. I will not leave anyone behind.”

Malthael laughed quietly, although it sounded more reserved and sad, almost tired as he took his seat again, “You cannot save everyone, Imperius. Death always catches up and takes everything away.”

Imperius snorted, turning to leave again, “I do not fear death. It should learn to fear me for how much I will defy it before the end,” the archangel of valor growled.

“Ironic given your fate.” Malthael said softly, “You do not have long for this world.”

Imperius touched the corruption on his chest, wings tensing, “Perhaps, but I will ensure there is a future for those that will carry on long after I have fallen. That is all I can do now.” He paused before turning back to Malthael, giving a nod of his head, “Rest easy and I will see you tomorrow.”

Malthael returned the nod, although he did not speak, his attention now to whatever he was writing down. The archangel of valor looked over him once more before finally exiting to the stairwell to leave the prison.

As he strode out of the doorway of the prison and pass the two guards, Imperius barely glanced over to where Rakanoth was lounging. The demon lord had to all but scramble to his feet, loping after Imperius to catch up, “In such a rush. I take it things went well?”

“He will help us.” Imperius responded, hands clasped behind his back, “But things need to now be put in place. Plans made to ensure everything doesn’t fall to chaos while I’m away for a day.”

Rakanoth chuckled, “And to think all of Hell thought you were so unified…”

“We used to be. Now…”

Now it felt like Hell had infused itself into every part of their life, ripping them apart at their cores and taking away everything that had made them champions of the light. He raised a hand to touch his own corruption once more, a testament to the hate that was slowly consuming him even as he fought against its touched and endeavored to best it. It almost made him laugh as he slowly realized why Mephisto hadn’t just gone ahead and destroyed the arch entirely.

What point was there in destroying it if the true heart of Heaven, the angels themselves, were rotted away from the inside?  Destroying the arch would be nothing more than a grander gesture of Hell’s dominance, more akin to something Baal or Diablo would want.

Mephisto would be more content with a complete victory, as quiet as that may end up being.

He would want every angel removed and every nephelem under his control, twisted to his desires, and his power secure. He would remake the world in his own image, raise the humans as cattle for his appetites, and keep the world in blissful, blind servitude for all eternity.

Such a thought only made Imperius’s resolve harden within his core, fueling the brave, reckless spark in him that wanted to fight and rebel against such a fate with every last ounce of strength he could find.

“We need to change if we are to combat Hell once more,” He paused to look towards the demon lord, “Do you still stand by me if we are to wage war again against Hell?”

“I do. I do not care for the prime evils, more so when being with angels is not as horrific as they make it out to be with the rules and the like. True, some things are oppressive but…” Rakanoth trailed off, “It is not…completely awful, I suppose. I do not care for the constant light though.”

“You and the mortals seem to be agreement with that.”

“I suppose in time you’ll agree with that?”

Imperius glanced at the demon and to his own corruption. So far he hadn’t become sensitive to the light or suddenly began wanting to avoid it, but that did not mean it would never happen. He tensed some, clutching his fingers against his chest before shaking his head, “It won’t come to that. Even if I become a demon… I will not forget who my enemy is.”

 

The archangel of valor’s wings flared as he picked up his pace, “But we are wasting time. Come. Plans need to be made.”

He would not fail as others had, not with so much on the line. Come whatever trials tomorrow, he would make sure his Heave had the guidance in place to at least survive a day without him.

After all, in time, it would have to survive eternity without him.

The weight of that duty was heavy on Imperius’s shoulders, but there was nothing to be done for it. He had taken on the mantle of leadership and the duties of ruling that had been born on the shoulders of angels before him from Malthael to Marianel, the first queen of Heaven. If there was to be any legacy of his own, it was that Heaven survived.

Especially from the forces at work within.

Imperius squared his shoulders, “Come Rakanoth. We have work to do.” His wings flared as he looked out over Heaven, feeling his resolve harden, “We have a war to win.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a month since this updated 8I I'm sorry for the delay! The fact is I actually wrote the next few chapters already! Currently I'm on chapter 23. I feel I edit better and write better when I got some rough chapters already hashed out in advanced!
> 
> Chapter 20 starts a new arc that focuses on more the internal problems Heaven is having to face and internal politics. Excited to write it and hope you all are ready for the next ride in this!


	21. Frozen Secrets

Imperius knew he should be worried about the venture that was to be undertaken that day. A wiser angel would be far more concerned or even feeling a respectable tremor of fear at the prospect of attempting to scale the Forlorn Peaks with only a criminal to guide the way. He knew he should feel more edge about the entire situation and about what they might find in lands that had fewer legends than the Hells themselves.

By all rational account, Imperius knew he should be dreading this mission, but after the weeks of reports and general inactivity, of politics and stress, he could barely keep himself from fidgeting from the eager anticipation thrumming in his core. As always, the concept of danger made him positively giddy in anticipation.

There was only one thing he was worried about in regards to the mission that was about to be undertaken.

 “So, on a scale of one to ten, how cold is this place going to be really because right now I feel more than a little overdressed.”

Imperius cat his glance over to where Tevar stood with Aladria, both of them looking almost double their size with the amount of layers they were wearing. Ignaceus had spared no detail too small in making sure the two were dressed for the excursion, even if both looked a tad comical in how not a single article of clothing they wore seemed to match, all of it a mishmash of colors and styles. It nearly caused Imperius to chuckle. He supposed this was going to be the result when his top lieutenant, after all, was known to be color blind.

 “I would venture the number would go beyond ten and depends entirely on how far in we need to go.” Imperius responded, as he leaned on his spear, “Keep close to me though. I should be able to provide some warmth but even then, it will be less than usual.”

“Less than usual?” Aladria asked, rolling her shoulders to try and get the pack on her back to settle more comfortable, twisting a bit to try and adjust the long staff tied to the back as well.

“There is a strange energy in those lands that causes the resonances of those born of the Crystal Arch to not be able to align as well to provide flight. In that case, it applies to the heat my wings offer as well,” he explained, giving a shrug, “But the heat I can provide should be enough.”

“Famous last words there.” Tevar grumbled. “So glad I have stuffed my pack with hot hands.”

Imperius wasn’t sure what a “hot hand” was and he wasn’t about to ask. He merely shook his head before his attention was drawn to where a group of guards was approaching with Tyrael at the head. At the center of the precession, was the familiar, lanky form of the former archangel of wisdom.

Malthael was still bound for now, although he walked with a calm dignity as if he still walked free. Given that Tyrael’s resonance was only projecting his usual ill-temper in regards to Malthael, Imperius could only assume that neither of them had spoken to each other on the way here. That was a small blessing really. They would have plenty of time on their venture no doubt to argue and snap at each other’s throats so it was best for now, they hadn’t started.

The archangel of valor sighed, straightening up his posture. He gestured to the two mortals, all three falling in step beside Tyrael as they continued on through the pools of wisdom.

“Any trouble?” Imperius asked, casting a look back at Maltahel.

“None. He’s been quiet thankfully and no one came to watch what we were doing.” Tyrael responded, hands clasped behind his back, “I am still of the opinion this venture is some suicidal ploy.”

“But you agreed to it regardless.”

“I’ve found the more suicidal the mission, the more likely it leads to what we need,” Tyrael said with a tired sigh, “Danger, it seems, proceeds every goal we need to reach.”

Tevar chuckled, “Then it is a good thing we are the most foolhardily brave group of adventurers, eh?”

“That sound about right for a group led by Imperius.”

The archangel of valor let out a soft huff, one wing quickly flaring out to whap against Tyrael who merely ducked away, chuckling softly.   
  
As the group continued forward, the dried and muddy bogs of the pools of wisdom began to recede and what plant-life remained was little more than a few twisted, stunted trees and lichen creeping over wet, dull grey rocks. Even those few stubborn signs of life though began to wane the lower they went, the light from the arch starting to grow fainter and fainter. Ahead of them, through the clouds and mists at the edge of the pools, the spires of a gate began to emerge, looming above the land like a grim sentinel.

Aladria’s eyes widened as they drew closer and closer to the gate, although a burning curiosity was clearly alight in her gaze. It did not take a scholar to know with a glance that the gate before them was ancient, even by the standards of Heaven. Most of the carvings and glyphs had been worn away at this point and tendrils of glistening ice covered much of the upper ramparts which lay broken away as if it had endured great sieges in the long ago past and never been repaired. Pictures of what looked like angels adorned the gate but time had since erased much of the details on the carvings leaving only vague imprints of what the ancient angels may have looked like.

There was only one part of the gate that was not so worn and had been maintained to some degree. Upon the doors of the gate a warning had been carefully carved and re-carved over generation as if someone had thought it important that this message be relayed to all who looked upon the wall.

Tevar blew a low whistle, head craned back to take in the massive structure before them, “And I thought the Diamond Gate was impressive. This one looks even larger!”

“One of the first gates created in Heaven.” Malthael said, ignoring how nearly everyone jumped when he spoke so suddenly, “Its construction was not truly meant to keep out just the wild cousins beyond, but to act as a dampener against the energy that radiates from there as well.”

“And what does the carving say? That looks fresh.” Aladria said, her eyes tracing over each word, “I haven’t yet mastered reading the Seraphim language but even so, it looks strange.”

Imperius let out a chuckle as he eyed the words on the gate, “I can read and even I cannot quiet parse the language. It is an older version of Seraphim. A bit archaic. All I can assume is there is something about light.”

Malthael stepped forward, paying no mind to how the guards bristled as he looked over the warning idly, “You could read it if you had paid attention in our history courses,” the archangel drawled, “But I’ll provide the translation. It reads ‘Enter not the forlorn lands where light grows dim, or so draw not another breath as it is robbed from your essence’.”

“Pleasant,” Tevar murmured, suppressing a shudder, “Guessing this is like the absolute most dangerous and worse place in Heaven?”

“More or less,” Malthael commented idly, “There is nothing but unending cold and the wild cousins of Heaven in that bleak landscape and no energy of the arch can resonate properly, putting angels of Heaven at a distinct disadvantage.”

“Is there a reason for that?” Aladria asked.

Malthael chuckled darkly, “Oh yes. You could say that Heaven has another song that echoes in these lands, stronger than the arch, but just as old.”

Imperius glanced back at Malthael, feeling the first real twinge of unease. He expected Malthael to speak vaguely about what they were trying to find in the desolate wastes, but the tone the former archangel was using painted a far more dangerous picture than even what the archangel of valor had initially thought.

The sentiment seemed to be shared as he felt the unease roll off Tyrael as well and both mortals shifted some uncomfortably.    
  
Tevar eyed the stone gate warily now, moving to tug up his scarf over his nose, “So no flying, guess we have to walk like peasants?”

Imperius’s wings flared a bit, “As I said before, we will have to go by foot, yes. We will need to rely on our strength to carry us through this.”

“More your wits in this place.” Malthael drawled, “Which I know you have little of, Imperius.”

The archangel of valor let out a small growl, crossing his arms as he glowered at Malthael, “And I suppose you have wit enough for the both of us.”

“I wouldn’t be here as your guide if that wasn’t the case.” Malthael pointed out as he lifted both his hands in a silent bid to have the manacles finally undone.

Imperius eyed him for a moment before giving a disgruntled grunt and a nod to the guards, giving the signal to finally undo Malthael’s bindings. The two luminarei guards stepped forward and after a moment, the manacles fell away from Malthael’s wrists and then from his wings. A sigh escaped the former archangelof wisdom as he gave a slow stretch of his wings and began to idly rub one hand over the wrist of the other.

“Finally…” he murmured before turning towards Imperius with a tilt of his head, “ah, and I do believe I requested to be armed for this venture, yes?”  
  
The archangel of valor hesitated for a moment before unhooking the wicked hand scythe that had been hanging off his belt. The weapon had been stored for a time in his personal armory if only to keep anyone from taking and defacing it. Malthael’s weapon of choice or not, Imperius had his pride as a craftsman to consider, given he had helped forged the weapons and was reluctant to see any damage come to the blade.

Malthael graciously accepted the weapon, hefting it up and down a few times before expertly tossing the shotel up into the air and then catching it by the handle easily before moving to tie the weapon to his own belt.

“The other one could not be located.” Imperius said, crossing his arms, “You’ll have to make do with the one.”

“I know. The other one was destroyed by that damned Nephelem,” Malthael said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “But that is neither here nor now. One is better than none.”

Tyrael was eying Malthael closely, his shoulders tense and gaze never the former archangel as he tested his weapon , “If you think to even betray us Malthael-“

“I have no intentions of doing so, Tyrael, and even if I did, what would that really do for me?” Malthael interrupted tersely, “Other than sparing me your overzealous, misinformed ideals making you sound as preachy as an old, senile elder.”

Tyrael bristled at the comment, although Malthael took no note of it, already moving up to the stone doors of the gate, “We are wasting time. Let us be on our way.”

The archangel of wisdom surged upwards to the barely formed circle just below the carved warning, reaching out a hand to touch it. He quickly recited some spellwork in a language, no doubt similar to the carved warning, and in mere moments, the huge doors of the gate began to groan, slowly starting to open with a protesting rumble. Dust and ice rained down as it inched open more and more, and for a moment, Imperius was sure the whole structure would fall in on itself given how much the structure was shaking as the gates swung open.  
  
As a gap finally began to appear between the doors, a sudden, frigid gust of air blew through, cold enough to even have Imperius shivering and wings pulling tighter to his body. Tevar jumped, starting to wrap his arms about himself as he squinted through the gap, as if he could somehow see through the cold mist that lay beyond.  
  
“Okay, that’s fucking cold.” Tevar growled, tugging his scarf up over his nose more.

“It gets colder mortal. I do hope you are wearing enough layers.” Malthael drawled, touching down to the ground again.

“I’m wearing more layers than an onion, I’ll have you know,” Tevar retorted, starting to move forward as the gates finally rumbled to a halt. “I’ll be perfectly fine in Heaven’s polar wonderland!”

Imperius chuckled some, starting to follow the mortal, glancing over only briefly as Malthael fell into step beside him. Tyrael followed behind them, no doubt wanting to keep an eye on the former archangel of wisdom, Aladria walking beside him.

The two guards warily stood at the gate, sharing a look before glancing up as the dark figures of wisdom angels began to crowd in close silently. They perched on the wall itself, not minding the cold or on the rocks nearby, watching the whole proceeding with passing interest. Imperius did not know why they had come, but hoped it was only out of passing curiosity to see their fallen leader. He paused to look back at the guards, giving a small nod.   
  
“Wait here for our return. If we are not back within a day, assume we have fallen and close the gate.” He ordered.  
  
There was a salute and a crisply delivered “yes sir!” from both angels. Imperius gave a final nod before turning and passing through the gate.

The temperature in the air was steadily dropping as they moved forward through the cloud bank, moving lower until they had passed beneath the sea of clouds. Rocky outcrops loomed around them like the shadows of half-formed jagged daggers, exuding an aura of threat. The wind was a near constant companion now, ranging from a hissing whisper to a howling gale through the twisting rocks.

“Cheerful place.” Tevar murmured, looking about, “Makes you feel all sort of happy.”

“The few legends of this place have always described it as bleak,” Tyrael murmured, “A place that was unwelcoming to the smallest stone.”

Their footsteps seemed to echo oddly  as they continued to descend, although now the mist began to fade away and the craggy black rocks began to recede as they moved away from the sea of clouds aboave them. The last few wisps of mist curled away and in the faint rays of light that managed to trickle down from above, a new alien landscape to appear before them that did not seem like it should belong in Heaven.

The land was broken, looking like it had been caught in a blast and then frozen mere moments afterwards. Pillars of ice rose and fell over what was at first a nearly flat plane of ice before sharply rising into a twisted wall of mountain peaks far larger than anything found in Sanctuary and vastly more sheer. The whole of the landscape was covered in ice and snow and the wind seemed to double its howl, blasting over the landscape creating smooth twisted arches here and there over the flat plains before the mountains.

However, there was something else in work in these frozen lands that brought a strange, nearly constant hum to Imperius’s resonance. It was not the warm song of the arch, nor was it entirely cold. The strange resonance was hard to really place, but it was jarring and already Imperius could feel his wings starting to become less formed and more a blurred swat of energy bleeding from his back. Oddly though, it was the corruption in him that reacted far worse to the strange power humming in these lands. The demonic taint on his soul writhed and brought with it a sense of urgency to avoid whatever was out there while at the same time, the hate boiling beneath the surface wanted nothing more than to snuff out whatever was causing the din. Whatever this source was, it has a peculiar, yet strong effect on those that trespassed in the frozen wastes and drew away from the arch’s light.   
  
Aladria shivered as she wrapped her arms about her, taking in the expansive, foreboding land before them, “This…this is nothing I would picture belonging in Heaven. Nor the source of energy for anything in Heaven. It looks so…dead.”

“The land is deceiving, mortal. You cannot trust your eyes here.” Malthael replied, pausing a moment at the base of the path to look about, “But it is not as dark and cold as you think.”

“Because of the source?” Imperius asked, flaring his wings some to provide a kernel of warmth for the two mortals who were quick to crowd closer to him.

“More or less, but with the water not flowing, well,” he glanced over his shoulder, “This land looks more lightless and dead than what should be the case.”

“If there is a fucking Whimsydale or some shit in the middle of this place, I’m calling bullshit.” Tevar growled.

Tyrael snorted, drawing closer to Malthael, wings tensed but drawn in, “I still have doubts you know where you are going, Malthael.”

Malthael scoffed, brushing past Tyrael to start moving forward once more, “Have your doubts then because frankly, I could care less. I know where I’m going.”

Tevar shot a glance over his shoulder as the path that led back upwards to the gate and the safety it offered before letting out a sigh before looking ahead, “So what’s our path?”

“Straight ahead to the mountains themselves. Then we ascend towards the peaks until we come to one of the carved out tunnels that lead cuts through the core of the Forlorn Peaks to the lands beyond,” Malthael answered, his path unwavering as he moved forward.

“Carved out…” Aladria murmured, “So they aren’t natural?”

Malthael chuckled, “The local residence of these lands prefer to live in the cores of mountains, not on the wind-blasted ridges.”

“Residences?” Tevar echoed, “You mean, other angels?”

“He speaks of the harpies.” Imperius murmured, “Which can be described as little more than ah…cousins I suppose.”

“I take it the family reunions aren’t pleasant?”

Malthael chuckled darkly, “Oh you’ll see for yourself in time, mortal.”

Tevar shuddered some wrapping his arms about him, “You know, being vague and foreboding doesn’t help your image of being scary as hell.”

The former archangel glanced briefly over his shoulder, wings stretching a bit, “No one said I was trying to improve my image.”

Tevar’s response was swallowed up by a sudden howling gale of wind that sent ice skittering over the broken land.  There was no real path ahead and Imperius felt more on edge as they passed by looming pinnacles of ice, expecting some attack to come down upon them. Malthael seemed largely unconcerned as he led them forward around the short ridges of ice and to an open stretch of land. The wind was more vicious without anything to block it, making the treck forward a little more perilous, even more so as there was a large drop to their right, descending down into a strange collection of smaller jagged spires that emerged from the ground like hundreds of needles.

Aladria paused to take in the sight, glancing up as the cloud cover broke some to allow a few stronger beams of the arch’s light to play over the land and to reveal briefly a few platforms high, high above them.

“Heaven extends out over this place? “she asked.

Malthael glanced up, “Only one structure, the Precipice of Retribution, although it has long since been abandoned given no executions have been ordered in the last few thousand years.”

Aladria pursed her lips, squinting upwards as if to get a better look, although the cloud cover was once more already closing in to mask it from view, “I have never really heard of it.”

“As is typical of Heaven, most things with unpleasant history are forgotten until they are needed again,” Malthael responded with a shrug, his gaze not fixed above, but on the pit that lay below, “When an execution is needed to forever bar the rebirth of an angel’s essence.”

Tevar wrinkled his nose, warily eyeing Malthael before following the dark angels gaze, looking down into the pit. Above, the clouds parted again briefly, allowing dancing shafts of light to glimmer over the drop. The mortal’s complexion went pale and his eyes widened and he took a step back from the edge.  
  
“Holy…holy fuck.”

Imperius kept his gaze forward as best he could, knowing what would be shown if he looked. Every angel knew what was said to lie below the Precipice of Retribution and in his youth, his companions had often told stories of the body pits to try and get a sliver of fear out of him. He did not want to acknowledge their stories as true but his curiosity caused him to reluctant sneak a glance over.

His entire core seemed to seize at the grisly sight.

The strange spires were not naturally made but more simply how the bodies had frozen. Armored limbs stuck up at strange angles and the points of their outer shells of forms were twisted and broken from how they fell. Some were impaled upon rocks while others were curled up with one another as if they had laid down to sleep.

All of them though were missing their head.

Aladria raised a hand to her mouth in horror, eyes wide, “There are so bodies…”

“Thousands of years’ worth of executions,” Tyrael said softly, “Our ancient ancestors were…swift and cruel in judgement, especially in the days of civil wars against the throne of Heaven.”

“Civil wars?” Tevar looked away, shuddering, “So seems Heaven has its own long and bloody history…but…why are they all missing their head?”

 “To ensure their resonance would not be reborn from the arch,” Malthael said quietly, “They would remove the head and throw the body into these lands where the dissonant energy and cold would cause their soul to freeze within what was left of their form, trapped in torment until their energy burned out and vanished forever. It is a final death among angels.” He paused, wings pulling tighter to his body as he turned away.   
  
“And if everyone has their way, it will be my fate as well.”

Everyone stood silent, looking over the grim sight. The wind howled over the field of the long dead, forever blowing away the ice and snow that would try to settle and bury the mass grave. It was a reminder of the atrocities that Heaven itself had committed in the desire for justice over its long, long history.

 Imperius’s hand clenched on his spear before he turned away, giving a shake of his head, “It will not be your fate Malthael. We are pass such barbarism.”

Tyrael looked away, glancing towards Imperius his hands tightening into fists, “Treason of the highest order is to be condemned to immediate death if they are found guilty of the crime in trial. You know that Imperius. If this is his fate so be it. It is more of a mercy than what he gave to the mortals he slaughtered.”

“So the mortals you sent to die and put in harm’s way, the angels you allowed to die by the droves when you foolishly played right into Diablo’s plans do not measure up to the crime I committed?” Malthael sneered, “I suppose if the crimes you commit are for a perceived greater good, it is forgivable. Negligence is not so terrible as intent I suppose, yes?”

Tyrael tensed, already moving to draw El’druin, a snarl escaping him when Imperius stepped between them,  wings flaring, “Stand down Tyrael!”

“You can’t possibly-“

“We are not here to discuss what is and is not a crime,” Imperius snapped, turning sharply towards Malthael, “And I would suggest you hold your tongue about the whole thing Malthael rather than trying to rile his temper.”

The former archangel of wisdom shrugged, starting to walk ahead once more, “As you wish. I was merely pointing out some flaws in the general consensus about justice.”

“Do not try to speak to me of justice, Malthael. You know little of my aspect.” Tyrael snarled, wings flared aggressively.

“Then don’t try and speak to me of you being even remotely suited to be considered wisdom, Tyrael, when you can’t even keep your cool to make a proper retort.” Malthael responded icily.

The two angels sized each other up for a mere moment before Tyrael looked away first, crossing his arms and murmuring under his breath, his words taken away by the wind before anyone could hear it. Malthael merely snorted, his attention going once more to leading the group forward, soon leaving the grisly pit of bodies behind them.

Tevar shook his head while Aladria sighed, dropping back to walk alongside Imperius now, glancing up at the archangel of valor tiredly, “…it is like listening to you and Tyrael all over again.”

“And I apologize for making you have to listen to such inane dithering,” Imperius grumbled, eyeing the two angels ahead of him.   
  
Tevar let out a snort, “Twenty bucks one of them tries to kill the other before this is over.”

“I pray it does not come to that.” Imperius murmured.

However, as he glanced over at Tyrael, he could feel the anger and hatred practically radiating off of him and how it was direct so squarely towards Malthael. It was a burning hiss within his resonance that caused Imperius’s corruption to tremor in delight. Just feeling it was wonderful and he wanted nothing more than to reach out to the source of that well of hatred and-

The archangel of valor tensed before subtly moving away from Tyrael, taking more comfort in the lack of resonance the mortals put off. It made him almost thankful that he couldn’t feel Malthael either, the pool of silence about the former archangel was at least something that combatted the hate that wanted to gnaw its way out of Imperius and into Tyrael.

As they drew closer to the sheer cliffs that erupted from the land to form high above into the towering Forlorn Peaks, the wind seemed to pick up, becoming a near constant howl. The light from the arch was becoming even dimmer now, leaving the area in a dusky near night that was made all the more surreal by the snow being blow against the sky, making it look more like grey swarms. What was more concerning though about the sheer wall before them was that there was no path up, no natural passes that could be utilize. It was merely a wall of frozen, earthen spines, lancing out like the defense of a barricade, unyielding and massive.    
  
Tevar looked up at the cliff, shivering as he stepped closer to Imperius, nearly pressing up against the archangel’s back for warmth, “Those are some huge ass mountains…nothing like any mountains I’ve seen in Sanctuary that’s for sure.”

“Makes you wonder how they were created given their unnatural appearance,” Aladria said, shivering, arms wrapped about herself.

“According to our ancestors, this was the location of the final battel between Anu and Tathamet and fury of their conflict tore up the earth itself before they both fell.” Tyrael said as he looked up at the towering spires, “I thought it more a myth, but standing here and seeing the Forlorn Peaks for the first time, it makes it seem like there is some truth to it all.”

Malthael raised a hand to touch the sheer face, head inclining back thoughtfully as he eyed the ascent upward, “All legends have truth in them. Some more obvious than others.” The former archangel turned away to look over at Imperius before pointing up, “We are going to need to scale the face up about several spans. There, we should find an opening to allow us to move forward through the heart of the mountains and into the land beyond. One of us is going to have to go first as the anchor to carve out necessary handholds for the rest.”

“You mean me.” Imperius drawled, glancing down to his clawed hands, “I suppose this is a use for these aberrations I’ve grown.”

“Seems so, broperius!” Tevar said, patting the archangels arm, “You go climb up that wall and we just all dangle and chill yeah? You can handle our combined weight yes?”

Imperius looked down at the mortal before letting out a snort, looking back up at the sheer cliff, “I don’t know. Tyrael has put on weight recently.”

The archangel of justice looked over at Imperius, wings flaring, “We cannot gain weight.” He grumbled.

“We have never eaten mortal food either so we do not know that for sure. I personally think you have gotten wider,” Imperius responded before stepping up to the wall of ice.

Tyrael grumbled as he crossed his arms, although he subtly looked down over himself, as if to see if what Imperius said was true. The archangel of valor chuckled some before rolling his shoulders in preparation for the climb, “Malthael you are behind me, followed by the mortals. Tyrael, you will guard our rear.”

“I’ll be sure to climb sexily for you Tyrael,” Tevar teased, giving a wiggle of his rear.

“I think that is going to make the view worse.” Aladria drawled, moving to pull the rope from her pack, “Let’s not try to mentally scar everyone.”

Tyrael shook his head with a sigh as he moved to help Aladria tug the rope out, tossing the lead end to Imperius to tie about his waist, “To be fair, a certain jeweler that may or may not be his grandfather used to do the same thing on every adventure. I’ve learned the mortal art of, how do you say, staring off and pretending I’m not there mentally.”

The earned a giggle from Aladria as she moved to take her place on the rope, fastening the carabineer on her belt  to the rope, giving it a tug to make sure everything was well anchored, “Thank goodness for Ignaceus knowing what we needed,” she murmured.

“You would not think an angel would understand mountain climbing of all things,” Tevar said as he adjusted the harness he wore over the various layers of clothing on him, “Let’s just hope everything is on, good and tight.”

Imperius shifted from foot to foot impatiently as the others prepared. His wings had stretched down flat over his back, the tendrils grasping onto the rope as an extra measure of protection.  Already he flexed both hands, feeling the demonic claws slide out more. It was a somewhat disconcerting sight, especially when the archangel of valor hadn’t really tried to do something of the sort. For the most part, he had all but ignored the corruption, not wanting to see anything useful about it.

The long claws he was looking over now though would give him the best grip and be able to gouge out better handholds for those behind him as they ascended.

“Everyone ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be to scale the cliffs of frozen doom.” Tevar murmured.

The archangel of valor heaved a sigh before stepping up to the wall rolling his shoulders one last time before starting to sink his claws into the wall and slowly start to ascend the sheer cliff.

The climb was not an easy one as the natural handholds were few. Despite even his impressive strength, Imperius felt the burn in his core as he continued to pull himself upwards. Adding to the strain of the climb was also the howl of the wind tearing at them and bringing with it the unending chill of the wasteland as well as the buzzing dissonance of whatever energy was in these strange lands. Already, a thin layer of frost was starting to cover most of his armor, making him appear almost as white as the ice around them.

Imperius could almost laugh. As a youth, he had thought the endless cloud seas beyond the pools of wisdom were filled with wonder and spectacular visages. Even when he had learned of the Forsaken Peaks, he had thought always assumed they were just as beautiful as Heaven, made of soft tips and gentle powders of snow.

This twisted land around them though held no warmth, no softness in the jagged peaks and sheer cliffs that rose up the unyielding earth. As they ascended higher and closer towards the peaks, huge chunks of what appeared to be crystal began to protrude from the wall, forcing him to painstakingly pick paths around them. The surface of the crystal was not like of the arch which was rugged and molted more akin to glowing ivory, but was completely smooth and reflecting their own visage as clear as a mirror.   
  
Even more strange though was as they climbed higher, the ice began to take on a cold blue hue, as if there was light somewhere deep beneath the frozen surface and hidden crystals that was being reflected and refracted upwards, only obscured by the buildup snow against them. Imperius had little time to think about all of it, his mind focused on the climb and the burn in his limbs with every span he managed to gain.

It seemed an eternity had passed before he reached the opening Malthael had spoken off, all but crawling forward, half panting as he pulled himself up to a half crouch. His wings were a blur of fire flickering at his back as he sat back, idly turning back to watch Malthael crest over the edge and then turn to balance on the edge to help pull the mortals and Tyrael up.

Imperius noted that he and Tyrael’s wings were hanging lower, barely even emerging from their backs at this point. Malthae’s too were dimming, but whatever was off in his resonance seemed to offer him some more fortitude against the dissonance that was growing louder. The constant drone of it was like an agitating, maddening hum at the back of his mind that made Imperius feel like his very senses were being robbed.

Tyrael seemed to be suffering the same insistent hum, sitting back in the snow, hunching forward with both hands coming up to his head. Malthael seemed untroubled by it all, his form alert and attentive, his wings flared a bit as he looked ahead.  Tevar was wheezing as he slumped into the snow, tugging down his scarf, “That….that was a journey.”

“You are one to talk. You didn’t have to do all the heavy climbing,” Imperius grumbled, rolling his shoulders to try and release the slight burn he felt in his resonance.

“Yeah well, still hard and I need at least twenty minutes,” Tevar groaned slumping back onto his hands as he sat in the snow.

Malthael gave a shake of his head, already starting to move forward again, “We cannot stop here. We do not have the luxury of time to waste. We are in the territory of the wild kin and it is better if we make it to the edge of the heartlands rather than let them catch us in the outer tunnels.”   
  
Tevar shook his head, arms wrapped about him, “And guessing it is going to get colder?”

“Of course, but the wind will relent now that we have made proper cover,” Malthael responded curtly.

Imperius let out a grunt as he forced himself back on his feet, “Then let us continue. There will be time to rest when this is all done.”

Tevar groaned but was soon to follow Imperius, shaking his head, “I’m regretting coming on this at all now…”

Aladria sighed, shaking her head at Tevar’s loud protest, her attention falling on Tyrael who had yet to rise, still hunched forward with his head nearly between his knees as if he were about to be ill. The scholar moved over to rest a hand on his shoulder, crouching down, a look of concern clear upon her features, “Tyrael? Are you okay?”

 “This place…does not feel right. It cannot possibly be of Heaven.” Tyrael murmured quietly with a shake of his head, “Something is wrong about this place.”

Malthael snorted, cocking his head, “Nothing is wrong here. Being unused to something does not make it wrong.”

“I do not trusty your opinion on such things, reaper.” Tyrael spat, raising his head to regard the former archangel, “Not about such an accursed place.”

 “Then you decide to live in ignorance about all things,” Malthael scoffed, “Burying your head in the sand seemed to be typical for you.”

Tyrael was quick to get on his feet, his temper flaring and once more, Imperius found himself stepping in between the two, more to block the archangel of justice from all but lunging at Malthael.

“Tyrael! Stand down!” Imperius hissed.

“You can’t possibly expect me to-“

“Not rise to his barbs?” Imperius interrupted, “Yes, yes I think you shouldn’t be letting him get to you this much, not when we are in the middle of a dangerous mission where he is the only guide we have!”

Tyrael stood defiant for a few moments, wings flared and hand on the hilt of his blade before he let out a low growl and turned away, crossing his arms, “Then let us be done with this task.”

Imperius eyed him for a moment before looking over to the two mortals with a dip of his head, “Are you two ready to move forward?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be in this frozen hellscape,” Tevar said with a huff, “Let’s go. Faster we get this done, the faster we can be back in Heaven with cups of hot cocoa and marshmallows.”

The archangel of valor could only give a shake of his head before turning to follow after Malthael who by then had gotten some distance on them. At the very least, despite the chill, the wind was gone now, only a distant wail behind them and ahead, only twisting tunnels that slowly ascended upwards through the mountain. The walls were smooth and carefully carved and Aladria paused once and a while to let her gloved fingers trail over strange markings impressed against the walls, “…so these tunnels were made by the harpies then?”

“Yes. Easier to use these tunnels to get through the mountain than to fly over the peaks,” Malthael said softly, pausing for a moment at a split in the tunnels before quickly picking a path to follow forward, “Typically though, they don’t venture out pass the mountains but it seems they have been reclaiming the area a bit more as their territory. The lessons taught to them in the past about starting to encroach on the boarder must have been forgotten.”

“Lesson that was taught them?” Tyrael drawled, “And pray tell what would that be?”

The former archangel of wisdom paused as he made his way up the path, glancing over his shoulder briefly at Tyrael, “That our territory is all the way to the mountain. What is beyond is theirs. Whenever they have crossed that line and dared to come screeching up near our holdings, my kind have always been quick to punish them in the way we have done for millennium.”

“And what would that be?” Tyrael asked, his voice barely above a cynical growl.

Malthael merely gave a shrug, “Not something important that needs to be known.” He said with a wave of his hand.

Tevar frowned some, moving to pull his scarf back over his nose, “My question is what will they do when we cross the invisible line into what is there territory?”

“There will be trouble.”

The mortal man let out an exasperated sigh, looking over at Imperius and gave a shake of his head, “Very detail oriented, isn’t he?”

“You learn to expect everything will be on a need to know basis when it needs to be known,” Imperius grumbled, “Even if that is moments before you need to know.”

Aladria was not paying attention to the conversation too much, her gaze fixed ahead as she wrapped her arms about herself a bit tighter, “It’s getting brighter ahead.”

Imperius cocked his head before giving a slow nod, “It is. Strange. I would think it would grow darker away from the crystal arch.”

“Not all light in Heaven comes from the arch. Did you think the pools glowed due to something of the arch’s doing?” Malthael asked as he led them deeper into the tunnels, “Some light in Heaven, while not as brilliant, still can burn with its own power.”

The former archangel’s gaze drooped to the floor as he spoke and Imperius found himself looking downwards as well, having to pause for a moment at the sight. He hadn’t even noticed the ice give way to the same pure crystal as what had been outside although the surface of these ones were clear, allowing them to see fathoms below their feet. There was no darkness though, no abyss like what was in Mephisto’s lair. Instead, there was thousands of branching  pale tendrils of light meandering through the mountains, the light enough to cause the crystals to all but glow with the soft light which seemed to grow stronger the further from the arch they moved.

Aladria raised a hand to her mouth at the beautiful sight, eyes wide and even crouched down to get a better look at the sight, one hand pressed to the crystal surface they walked on.

 “They almost look like veins,” she murmured.

Malthael paused to regard her, tilting his head, “That is because they are.” The former archangel’s attention fell then to the floor and to the rivulets of energy stretching out far below, “Something though is wrong. The flow is usually far stronger and more or less fills this cavern with light. I have never seen it so depleted…”

There was a tense silence to Malthael’s posture before he suddenly turned about towards Imperius and Tyrael, wings flaring, “Did any of Hell’s minions get this far during the arch attack? Did any breach the Forlorn Wall?”

 

 “I do not think they cared enough to venture this far into a dead land,” Tyrael responded, crossing his arms, “There is no prize here, no angels. Diablo was focused on the arch entirely.”

“Given that the corruption in my soul seems to detest this place more so than the light of the arch, I do not think they would be overtly drawn to this place, let alone want to even see what was beyond the wall.” Imperius murmured, bringing a hand to his chest, “And there were not even any reports of demons in the pools of wisdom to begin with.”

Malthael remain tense for a few moments, silently considering their words before he let out a sigh, shoulders relaxing, “If that is the case, then it is most likely not a demonic influence that has affected the heart…” he murmured, turning around to continue forward.

“The heart?” Tevar asked. “Like…an actual heart or metaphorical heart or…?”

“You’ll see in time.”

“There is no reason to keep your silence about what we are heading towards, Malthael,” Tyrael growled, hurrying forward just enough to tread hot on the former archangel’s heels, “What do you mean by heart?”

“I could explain it, but it would only serve to create more questions” Malthael responded tersely, “ Some things must be seen, Tyrael, not explained.”

Imperius let out a sigh, but held back his own questions as he could tell there would be no answers forthcoming just yet. Malthael was being cryptic, but not lying to any of them. His choice of words was made intentionally. The use of the word heart to describe the source of the water to the pools of wisdom and how he had agreed with Aladria about the rivulets being veins was all intentionally choices. Either he was weaving a complex metaphor or that there was something alive about where the waters of the pools of wisdom flowed from. And knowing Malthael, the answer was probably more obvious than realized.

The path ahead was starting to widen out and the murmur of cold wind began to drift in indicating they were near an exit at last. Imperius could not help the slight thrill of excitement that rose in his resonance. Although there were stories of harpies, of the mountains, and of the morbid mass grave in the frozen wasteland of the Forlorn Peaks, there were no stories really of what was beyond. Most was speculation and wild stories of giant beasts, of endless darkness and cold that led to the abyss itself. None of those whispered rumors did justice to the sight that greeted them as they emerged from the tunnel.

The land beyond the mountains dropped sharply into small jagged peaks of twisted ice and blowing snow, all descending into a crater like valley. At t the center, huge curled landforms emerged and formed together like a crude, half formed ribcage and beneath it, light pulsed, sending small flickers of energy out into the small rivulets they had seen before. From this vantage point, Imperius could see thousands upon thousands of small rivers of energy chaotically spread out like the reaching web of a spider, growing somewhat wider the closer to the pulsating center they came.

Aladria’s eyes widened as she looked on, shaking her head, “It’s beautiful…”

“Far more light than I expected.” Tyrael murmured, his wings giving an almost rhythmic surge now, starting to match that of the pulsating light, “And the dissonant energy of before is…less intense here.”

“The dissonance is created by the clash of energy with the arch. We are beyond the arch’s touch, thus now one song affects us.” Malthael said as he spread his wings some,“Your resonance though is not in sync yet with the new song here. That would take days of acclimation we do not have.”

Imperius moved to the edge, looking down, “So will we need to climb down?”

“No, there is a path.”   
  
Malthael turned his attention just to the right of them. The mountain face had long, long ago collapsed downwards, forming a natural slope down towards the valley. There was already a rather worn path down the center, but it was what marked the path that caused Imperius pause.

The mangled armor of angels was put up and marked with glowing, crude markings of a strange language. It looked almost like it could be related to the tongue of the Seraphim, although it looked older and far more crude, like a fledgling just learning to write.

Malthael didn’t seem perturbed by the warning, already starting to pick his way down the path.

Tyrael eyed the effigy, wings pulling in close to his back, “…I take it we are well into the territory of the harpies now.”

“Oh yes.” Malthael answered, carefully sliding down a few slipper embankments, using his claws to help control the slide, “And no doubt they will be coming to greet us.”

“Then shouldn’t we be, I don’t know, stealthier?” Tevar asked, gripping onto one of Imperius’s wing tendrils as he followed the archangel of valor down carefully.

Malthael chuckled, coming to the end of the path and offering a hand of assistance to Aladria which the scholar accepted gratefully, “There is no point to it. Harpies are very sensitive to any change in their lands, any off note, and any odd beat of silence. They already know we are here.”

“…if they know we are here, then why haven’t they attacked?” Tevar asked, looking around.

“Because they don’t attack alone and it takes a bit to muster a swarm,” Malthael answered with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

Tevar let out a groan, “…wonderful.”

Imperius couldn’t help a slight tension to his own shoulders, warily following Malthael as the former archangel approach an opening in the ice ahead that entered a tunnel beside a trickle of the glowing energy, barely even large enough to be considered a creek.

“They are going to attack us?” Imperius growled, “Why did you not say anything?”

“Because I know what to do and getting into a panic and getting aggressive will only serve to get us all killed,” Malthael drawled, “Trust me. Part of knowing the path to the source is to know the intricacies of those we are dealing with.”

“Just like you knew what you were doing when you slaughtered Westmarch?” Tyrael asked icily, “You’ve made quite a career over supposedly knowing what to do and then miserably failing.”

Imperius let out a sigh, moving to once more place himself between the two as this time, the former archangel of wisdom’s hand strayed a bit closer to the weapon on his hip, “Please. Not now… he is the guide and if he says he knows what to do, then we will have to take it as a fact.”

 “And we haven’t actually seen any harpies yet.” Tevar pointed out, “Maybe they all died off and aren’t-“

His words were interrupted by a sudden loud, screeching howl echoing in the tunnel ahead. The sound of it cut right through Imperius’s core and in an instant, Solarion was summoned to his hand. The sound was close to the cry of a reaper, although it warbled and wailed differently, as if more than one voice spoke and mixed in an oscillating pitch.

Aladria shot Tevar a glare, crossing her arms, “You just jinxed us.”

“I really need to learn to not say things like that or the opposite is going to happen,” Tevar grumbled with a sigh, pulling out his crossbow, “Guess we are hunting harpies now?”

Tyrael had El’druin drawn, peering ahead, wings flared, “Seems so. We will need to prepare for a fight. These close corridors-“

“I will handle this.”

Impeirus looked sharply over towards Malthael, shoulder tensing as he gave a shake of his head, “You can’t possibly expect-“

“The harpies have their own culture and rules. Their own hierarchy,” Malthael snapped, already drawing his weapon and stalking forward, “If you go charging in, swinging your weapons about wildly, you’ll call down hosts of the wild ones. This has to be handled on their own terms with a delicate hand.”

“And what, pray tell is the delicate way of handling this?” Tyrael spat.   
  
Malthael glanced over his shoulder briefly, “By calling out the leader of the host coming to attack and putting the fear of Heaven in them.”

The former archangel stepped forward the confined tunnel opening up into a larger cavern. The howls and shrieks of the harpies’ was growing louder by the second, echoing off the walls and seemed to be coming in from all around them. Imperius was quick to follow after Malthael, wary of his plan, but before he could question it, the former archangel of widsome was straightening up, wings flared out before he let out a shrieking howl in response to the challenging cries around them. The shriek Malthael let out was louder, more drawn out and steady, the sound of it causing both Tevar and Aladria to wince and cover their ears.

“How the hell does he scream that loud?” Tevar hissed.

“It is not screaming,” Tyrael growled, his wings tucking in closer and his grip not releasing from his blade, “The shriek he creates comes from his wings. The… host of wisdom, whatever twisted notes are in their resonance, can solidify their wings to a point to rub them against each other and then resonate the sound louder within their armor.”

“…that makes it just that more fucking terrifying!” Tevar snapped.

More shrieks were in the air now in response to Malthael’s own call and the sound of something moving in the tunnels around them was growing louder. The former archangel did not look worried and in fact, his posture was becoming far more aggressive, his wings flared as he paced back and forth, eyes fixed on the tunnel ahead. Time to time, he let out more shrieks, each one sounding more aggressive than the one prior until Imperius was half expecting the former archangel to leap forward and take off down the tunnel to slaughter everything that was coming. Yet, for how wild and aggravated his body language was, there was a measure of purpose to every step and action he took and to every scream he let lose.

The whole of the cavern they had entered into was echoing with the din and Imperius was quick to step over to the mortals to stand protectively in front of them as they were somewhat incapacitated by the volume of sound assaulting them. The archangel of valor quickly found himself gripping his spear tighter as the first harpy he had ever seen in person emerged.

The harpies were more local legends of Heaven, tidbits of lore that had trickled even into Sanctuary as their angelic ancestors no doubt passed along stories of the savage cousins of Heaven. There were of course pictures of the creatures here and there, all of them wildly different as each scholar speculated on what they might look like up close.

Not a single one of them must have seen a true harpy.

The first one came in, skittering along the ceiling far faster than what would be considered normal, all four of their long, twisted limbs ending in clawing hands. The entire body seemed far too long, as if the creature had been squeezed between rocks until their bodies had become rail thin and stretched out a full three spans beyond normal proportions. Their wings were a healthy glow of Heaven, although instead of fanning out in tendrils like the wings of angels, they were stiff, jagged bristles like quills that opened and closed with loud snaps and rasps, ejecting at times very thin licks of tendrils like a hundred tiny squirming tongues.

The head of the creature was just as twisted as the rest of the body and looked as if someone had gripped onto the nose  and pulled forward, elongating the armor skull forward into a hook-like beak. Beneath it, holes opened up, each one with a blazing, wide, glowing eye. What served as some sort of crude mouth was torn from where a jaw should be down the length of its neck, set sideways and filled with jagged teeth like the points of daggers.  If not for the shine of armor and the healthy glow of blue skin-like energy peeking between gaps in the plating, Imperius might have mistaken the harpy for some sort of strange demon.

“Holy fucking- that’s a fucking harpy!? I thought it was going to be some big-tited angel thing!” Tevar exclaimed.

“How in the- why would you even think that!?” Imperius snapped back, shooting a look over his shoulder at Tevar, even as he moved to keep himself between the two mortals and the horde of harpies starting to pour in, clambering about the walls and ceilings like swarming insects.

“That’s what everyone said they were in Sanctuary but…fucking shit! That is-that is just not right!”

Imperius’s attention was drawn back to the harpy swarm as one of the larger ones dropped down from the ceiling, , its entire body twisting at different angles as if it had no bones or form to content with to land heavily on its two feet, slowly rising to its full, unnaturally tall height. The harpy’s wings spread wide, the quills rasping and clashing together as it let out another shrieking roar of challenge, its eyes widening within the gaps of its warped helmet, teeth gnashing loudly. It brandished a crude weapon in one hand and unlike the other harpies swarming about, it wore the remnants of armor no doubt filched from the body pit they passed earlier. The terrible gaze of the wild angelic creature was fixed on Malthael who had not wavered for a moment in his own threat display.

The two were shrieking louder at each other, slowly starting to circle as the swarm of harpies gathered on the walls and ceiling shrieked and yowled in obvious excitement. Smaller ones crawled over larger ones for better vantage points, all the while rasping their teeth together in obvious delight.

They had all but surrounded the group by then and Imperius stepped in closer to Tyrael, keeping the mortals between the two of them as a means to be a barrier should the horde attack. Yet other than the large one that had dropped down to face off against Malthael, the host of harpies seemed to be holding back, more intent on watching for now.

“…I thought he said he got this.” Tevar murmured, clutching his weapon, “He seems to just be agitating them!”

Imperius looked over to where Malthael was continuing to shriek and hiss in the fashion of his own kin, some of the sounds he made being more repetitive than just needlessly made. That, combined with his body language, every twitch of his wings and step he took mirroring that of the harpy, had realization finally dawning on Imperius.

“He isn’t agitating them, he’s speaking to them.” He murmured.

The large harpy standing before Malthael let out a sudden sharp series of short, barking shrieks which caused the horde gathered about to suddenly quiet down and pull back some. They were not retreating, but something that was conveyed had called for silence. The large harpy twisted its head about, watching its host before it crouched some, gripping tight onto the crude trident-like weapon it held, hissing low.

Malthael’s own posture was tense as well, the former archangel now standing on the balls of his feet and looking ready to move at the slightest twitch of aggression from his opponent.  His grip was tight about the shotel as he took a more defensive stance.

The entire cavern was silent, all eyes on the two at the center of the crude ring slowly circling each other. Then, with a deafening, warbling roar, the harpy charged forward.

The entire cavern broke into excited chittering and yowling as what must have been their leader lashed their weapon out at Malthael. The former archangel didn’t miss a beat, moving and dodging effortlessly and keeping ahead of each wild attack. The harpy lacked form, but the speed at which they moved and the impossible, twisting angles its entire body moved in made up for that easily.   
  
Malthael kept on the defensive, using the single hand scythe to deflect hits at time and relying on his speed to keep him out of the reach of the deadly trident. Yet even a harpy could be lucky and one wild swing sent the former archangel of wisdom’s scythe flying away. It let out a howl of triumph, already tasting its victory as it lunged forward.

Imperius saw the poor wild things mistake the moment the scythe was sent flying.   
  
It was an intentional motion, a feint, and as Malthael stepped back, he let himself drop onto his back. A dagger was suddenly in Malthael’s hand and as the harpy overshot their attack, stretching themselves out over here Maltahel lay, the former archangel was quick to drive the dagger upwards into the chest of the harpy, expertly slipping in between the plating to gouge deep. The harpy spasmed in pain, letting out a wail as it dropped its weapon. It had barely any time to react before former archangel kicked upwards, using the momentum of the harpy’s initial lunge to send it sailing head over heels across the room.

The wild angelic-like being hit the ground hard, a blue ichor oozing out across the floor as it weakly tried to get to its feet, clutching the fatal wound. Malthael rose slowly to his own feet, expertly slipping the dagger back into its hiding place along the wrappings of his arm while the other hand stretched out, calling the scythe back to his hand.

The fight, despite the fact one of the opponents could no longer fight, did not seem over. The crowd was shrieking louder, expecting something to happen. The large harpy was still snarling weakly, teeth gnashing as Malthael approached it quickly. It managed one swat at the former archangel before it let out another wail, the hand severed. Then it was flailing as Malthael moved forward, driving the scythe up into its head and with a surprising show of strength, the former archangel of wisdom twisted the weapon and pulled back, ripping viciously through the harpy’s head and leaving it split in two upon its gnarled neck.

The harpies shrieked around them and it was hard to tell if they were pleased or not, a few of the larger ones starting to inch forward. Imperius tensed, for a moment fearing the worse and that the rest of the harpies would attack to try and claim quick leadership.   
  
In a moment though, those shrieks became ones of alarm as they started to hastily flee the room.

Malthael did not stop at merely killing the harpy leader. What energy had made up the core of the wild angel was suddenly drawn out in a rush of blue energy as the former archangel straightened his posture. His wings spread wide as he let a slow howl that rose to a near deafening pitch. The energy wafted around him before being split, seemingly drawn into him in a macabre show of feeding akin to how the reapers had drawn in the souls of the mortal dead.  

Imperius tensed in shock as Malthael blatantly fed on the creature’s essence before their very eyes, committing the same actions that all of Heaven saw him as a monster for.

The display was unsettling, but it had driven away the harpies in a fright and Imperius had a suspicion that this wasn’t the first time the wild cousins had seen a display. Yet that was not at the forefront of his attention. Instead, Imperius was throwing himself forward to grab onto Tyrael who had made a move to leap towards where Malthael stood.

  
“Let go of me Imperius! He just-“

“Calm yourself!”

“How can you expect me to be calm when-“

“When he is the only guide we have, actions aside, and without him we all die here and accomplish nothing!”

Tyrael snarled but calmed some, his entire form rigid and hate seeping off him as he stared at Malthael, “I can’t believe you still defend him when he just showed he will still glut upon souls!”

Malthael did not turn around to regard the others, idly returning his scythe to where it had been hanging on his hip, “It is a practice that has been applied against the harpies as far as the records go. They would do the same to us if given a chance. That is the natural order of things.”

 “Then you admit freely you are still a reaper!” Tyrael snarled, pushing out of Imperius’s grip, “You are still corrupt to the core, no doubt still just as eager to take in the souls of the mortal dead and cull them for your own desires!”

Firs the first time, Malthael’s façade slipped. He whirled about towards Tyrael, wings spread and his posture tense. His usual calm, collective voice cracked, rising in obvious anger.  
  
 “Still a reaper? This is what I am! What I’ve always been! You call us reapers, but you know little about it! This is what my kin are!” Malthael snarled, “It only became a thing of disdain when it was used to cull the souls of mortals amassed when in my delusions, I tried to end the eternal conflict!”

“You never fed on others!” Tyrael retorted, “What you did to the mortals-“

“You do not have to kill to feed!” Malthael retorted, raising his voice, “You think that Magtherius-“

His words came to an abrupt halt as he spoke the name, his entire form tensing and hands clenching into fists. He was trembling and there was a ragged hiss of breath escaping him as he made a much more physical effort to bring himself under control. The cavern was silent. The cries of the harpies had vanished off into the depths of the tunnel. Only the steady drip of water over the floor echoed around them.

Malthael inhaled deeply and let it out slowly before he turned away from Tyrael starting to head towards the far end of the cavern, ““if you want to play judge, jury, and executioner, Tyrael, then strike me down now but know you will never find the source and your precious Heaven will be doomed.”

Tyrael was rigid, hand still on his now drawn weapon and Imperius could feel how much he wanted to run Malthael threw then and there. Yet the archangel of valor was getting a sense there was more being left unsaid, things that were not known and closely guarded secrets.

The archangel of valor let out a frustrated sigh, moving to step between the two as he moved to follow Malthael, “We came here for a mission. We will finish it, then there will be words had about what happened here, and not what you did to that harpy.” Imperius drawled, “But also the fact you were armed this whole time with hidden weapons that you failed to turn over.”

“I was not asked to turn them over.” Maltahel responded tersely, “And they did not find them when they searched me. Need I remind you that before I was archangel, I was trained as an assassin of Heaven?”

“I am well aware of that Malthael, but keeping concealed weapons on you-“

“If someone would have asked, I would have turned them over, but no one did.”

Imperius had to bite back a growl, shaking his head, “Then why ask to be armed if you had a weapon, possibly weapons, on you?”

Malthael spared a glance over his shoulder, “To see if you trusted me enough to arm me. To see if you really did believe in me.”

Imperius’s wings flared some, a bit taken aback by the response. It brought with it the slow realization that Malthael all this time had been armed, could have harmed any number of angels or guards but hadn’t and that he put some trust in Imperius now to have revealed his hidden trump card.

In the case of Malthael, it was all signs of, at the very least, respect.

“…I expect you to turn them in when you return to incarceration this time,” Imperius grumbled, gripping Solarion tighter.

“Of course. All of my hidden armaments will be turned in,” Malthael said, tone exasperated as he gave a dismissive wave of his hand, “We need to keep moving forward if we want to return at all though. That display only bought us limited time. Word will travel fast and other hosts will gather soon enough.”

 

 Aladria swallowed hard, wrapping her arms about her as she picked up the pace, “Is it far from here?”

“We are getting closer.” Was the waspish response as Malthael stalked forward, wings rasping against each other in a grumbling rattle.

Imperius only shook his head, making a point to walk between where Maltahel and Tyrael were as it was growing more and more obvious the two were on the edge of coming to blows once the best opening presented itself. Tevar shook his head, sighing softly, “This is turning into a fun trip…”

“Not dangerous enough for you?” Imperius teased lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

The mortal let out a chuckle, “Nah. This isn’t dangerous at all. Just a walk in the gardens with some horrific twisty angels and everyone screaming at each other.”

“Sounds like a normal day in Heaven to me,” Aladria added with a smile. “Just colder.”

“Just fucking colder,” Tevar agreed.

Imperius couldn’t help a small chuckle, once more grateful for the two mortals. Their words had helped to ease some of the tension even as their pace increased. Malthael was not slowing down, leading the way with a confidence that spoke of a familiar with the path he was walking. Each turn and twist they made seemed to angle ever so slightly downwards, drawing them deeper beneath the crystal and earth above, following the slowly growing trails of water that glowed with an intensity that was almost blinding. The strange humming buzz was growing stronger, pulsating rhythmically over Imperius’s form, causing both his core and the corruption to want to draw away.

Something ahead was releasing a great deal of power.

“What is this source?” Tyrael murmured, out loud, arms wrapped about him, his wings pulled so tight to his back they did not even seem to exist, “Only the arch had ever felt so powerful.”

Malthael didn’t look back as he slipped around one last bend, heading towards a burning light that was flowing from whatever lay head. Imperius felt the tension inside him build, gripping his spear tight as he rounded the corner.

Shock filled him as he stepped forward and he nearly dropped his spear at what lay before them now and he finally laid eyes upon the holy source of the pools of wisdom.

This cavern was far larger than the ones they had passed through, although he felt more like he stood within the chest of some large beast. The walls were entirely of crystal with the high vault of the ceiling looking more akin to the ridges of bone. At the center of it lay what appeared to be a huge stone, although it almost seemed to pulsate, as if it were alive in some way. Small trickles of the same water that fed the rivulets that moved through the land trailed over its surface from huge, torn holes. The sight was both awe-inspiring, and grim as whatever this relic was, it did not look in good condition.

“I said you would see.” Maltahel said softly, “The greatest secret of Heaven, hidden far from the arch and from all our history in order to keep it safe from Hell’s plots. This is the Heart of Anu, cast upon the earth when he fell and still creating the holy blood which feeds the pools of wisdom and the life of these lands.”

Tevar shook his head, “So…when you said those were veins, you were being quiet literal.”

“Very much so,” Maltahel responded with a soft chuckle, “Just like how when I used to ask my mentor why so many turned to the pools to meditate and seek greater wisdom, he used to tell me it is because wisdom does not come from the head, but from the heart.”

“A literal explanation that everyone is going to think you are being metaphorical and wise about….” Tevar murmured, “That’s clever.”

Aladria’s eyes were wide, taking in the small pulse of the relic before them, “It looks so strange yet…beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as it should look. There is an ailment to it. It has darkened,” Malthael murmured as he eyed the artifact from across the chamber where they stood, “Something has hardened the heart and stopped the flow of the blood of Anu to the pools of wisdom and torn holes within it.”

“All this time…the pools were… it is hard to fathom.” Tyrael shook his head. “To think such a thing lay hidden here.”  
  
“ It has been a part of us, hidden away for eons, kept safe by the rulers of Heaven. If the worse was to come and Hell would ever destroy the arch, our ancestors made plans that we would rebuild from the heart…” Malthael shifted, starting to slowly make his way forward towards relic, “It has its own song, thus can be used to create a lightsong. It is what the harpies use to populate their numbers in fact.”

Imperius shook his head, “And the pools of wisdom were full of its power…”

“Which would be distilled and made safe to partake of by the ice of the frozen lands and then evaporated from the pools by the light of the arch to create a fog of energy to sustain the arch’s energy.” Malthael murmured, shoulders hunched as he drew closer to the heart, “But we might already be too late to salvage the Heart of Anu.”

“Too late?” Tevar asked, “I don’t see anything wrong with it. Just looks like a weirdly moving spurting rock-“

“The heart is corrupted.” Malthael growled unsheathing his scythe and drawing closer to it, “Something has taken root in it…”

“What has?” Aladria asked warily.

The former archangel of wisdom gave no response as he edged the tip of his scythe forward into one of torn openings of the heart. The whole rock flared and seemed to pulsate faster as the weapon dug in, a few more spurts of the glowing fluid oozing out. Malthael continued to maneuver the point gently before with a sudden jerk, he pulled it back, pulling a squirming, and shimmering black wailing mass. There was a low moan in the air as Malthael dragged the mass closer to his face for inspection before he let out a snarl, flicking his wrist to the side, sending the mass flying off.

The squirming black lump shrieked, taking on a more human form as it scurried up the wall of the cavern, sunken eyes forming in a frail, mortal face that glared balefully at the reaper, mouth split open in a vicious hiss, exposing blackened teeth.

Malthael paid little attention to the spirit, growling as he whirled about, “The corruption of the heart has been brought about by mortal souls!”

As he spoke, the spirit he had pulled from the heart lunged forward, eyes wide and malicious as it came for Malthael with a vengeance. The former archangel jumped back, wings flaring as the spirt dove back into the heart, causing it to once more to hemorrhage briefly, gushing out a few feeble bursts of glowing fluid.

“So it is haunted by human ghosts” Tevar murmured, “Shouldn’t be a big deal to pass them onto the next life, right?”

“It will be a problem.” Malthael growled, slowly starting to circle the relic, wings spread in agitation, “These souls are…not well.”

Aladria tensed, “Not well? What do you mean?”

“There is something dark to them,” Tyrael explained softly, “They are not the spirits of mortal who died…peaceful deaths.”

Imperius could feel what Tyrael meant. The souls hiding within the heart, corrupting it and causing the flow to stop where filled with hatred. So much so he felt the corruption in his resonance prickle and seemed to swell, pushing against the innate repulsion to the once pure and holy relic. Every surge of malice caused a twinge to rush through his soul, ripping deeper and feeling like it was pulling open wounds in his core. He shuddered, one hand rising to clutch as his chest, wings pulling tight to his body.

The reaction was not lost on Tevar who cocked an eyebrow, lips pursed as he regarded the large archangel.

 “Imperius, you okay big guy? You look a little ill at ease…”   
  
Imperius shook his head, looking over towards Tevar, “It is nothing just …they are…angry. Very angry. I can feel it so clearly.”

“But why would such angry souls gather here?” Aladria asked, “Surely there are other places in Heaven closer to the arch that they would want to settle if they were mad at Heaven…”

“They aren’t mad at Heaven,”

Imperius looked over to where Maltahel stood, staring down the heart.   
  
“What?”

“They are mad at me,” The former archangel of wisdom said quietly.

Tyrael tensed, looking to the relic, “They are the souls of those you killed.” He said, realization spreading through his resonance, “The souls of the mortals you culled.”

“And they have lingered here since that time as some sort of twisted justice.” Malthael let out a humorless chuckle, “Ah, so my punishment in Pandemonium was not enough. They had to spread their hate and discontent further.”

“So…how do we get rid of them?” Tevar asked slowly.

Malthael gave a shrug, stepping closer to his heart and raising his weapon, “The one thing about human souls is the corruption can be easily plucked away, but it would be prudent to simply destroy these dark souls-“

“We will do no harm to a single soul.” Tyrael snarled, “This entire problem is your fault. Your callous nature, your lack of emotions or care for others is what led to them coming here at all! I cannot fault them for seeking justice of their own for what you did.”

“Then what do you propose, Tyrael?” Malthael retorted, “Some of these souls are so lost to their hatred, they might as well become demons at this point.”

“Their anger is justified, Malthael,” Tyrael snarled, wings flaring, “Your actions-“

“Where no worse than any action we have taken in the past against Hell. No worse than the slaughter you brought to Heaven or the unraveling of the world caused by your destruction of the world stone.” Malthael snapped, looking over at Tyrael, “Do not think me the only criminal that stands in this room nor forget that at one point, you would have had all of humanity slaughtered without a care.”

Tyrael’s entire form was trembling as he stepped forward, “I did not let my judgement cloud my empathy as you did! I chose to understand them to-“

“To sacrifice them as surely as any pawn. Just like your Horadrim Just like the faithful of Zakarum. Just like Tal’Rasha, Deckard Cain, and Leah,” Malthael sneered, “You did not understand them. You allowed them all to die in your vain attempts to help them but their deaths were one of heroes, so I suppose that is all the justification you need to say you are blameless and that your hands are clean of any blood!”

The heart seemed to beat faster, its surface rippling as the mass of dark souls within groaned and writhed in response to the angry words being through about, flicks of malicious faces leering out from the holes in the heart in glee.  All of that was drowned out by Tyrael’s sharp cry of anger as he finally lunged at Malthael, blade raised with all intent to slay the former archangel, “Don’t you dare say their names, demon!”

“Tyrael!”

Imperius made an attempt to move forward but found himself nearly falling forward, barely catching himself on unsteady feet. A surge of weakness trembled through his entire core and the corruption seemed to suddenly grow stronger. Whatever about the realm had caused it displeasure was drowned out by the sudden surge of hate rising and twining about him. Ahead, steel clashed against steel as the two angels began to trade blows, both of them practically seething with anger and intent to kill.

Imperius shuddered, a sense of horror building in his soul at the sight and he took another step, wincing and dropping to a knee, his spear clattering to the ground as both hands rose up to his chest as if he could press the corruption back. The hatred of the human souls, the hatred that both Tyrael and Malhael held for one another as they finally fell to blows seemed to crush around the archangel valor, causing him to tremble as if gripped in the talons of a hideous fever.

He felt his consciousness starting to slip and the world start to go out of focus as he began to pitch forward.  
  
“Imperius!”   
  
Aladria was at his side in an instant, grunting as she used what strength she had to try and prop him up. Tevar was soon beside her, helping to push the dazed archangel back into a slumped sitting position as he continued to tremble.   
  
“Imperius, what is wrong? What is going on?”

The archangel just shook his head, unable to find words other than a pained wheeze. Both his hands were pressing harder to his chest, fingers curled against the corruption as the sound of the fight continued. Tevar’s eyes fell to the corruption, widening as he quickly noticed that it was starting to spread and putting two and two together quickly.

Anger brewed in his expression as he got to his feet, whirling about towards the two feuding angels, hands clenching into fists, “Okay you two fucks! You are going to knock it off now even if I have to knock you both out!” he hollered before taking up his weapon and rushing forward to try and get in between Tyrael and Malthael’s battle.

Imperius felt horror rise in him at seeing the mortal rush towards the two archangels. Nephelem or not, his powers were still growing and against the two fighting angels, he might as well be a bird flying into a maelstrom trying to get the storm to turn back. Yet he couldn’t manage anything more but a frustrated, half gurgled snarl to try and call the mortal back.

His entire core clenched, concern, anger, and his own hatred over the whole stupid situation rising up, but all he could do was shudder, feeling like his form was on fire. He was vaguely aware of the sound of metal cracking, his entire spine feeling like someone had set it afire with the amount of pain starting to flow through his form. The archangel felt like his mind was attached to the rest of his soul by mere threads as he fought to keep lucid.

There was a cold feeling in his chest, wholly unfamiliar, clashing with everything else in his core, something that made him feel like he was about to completely fall apart at the very foundations of his being. The only anchor was the small mortal clinging to his armor, her eyes wide with tears and distress as she held onto him. Whatever power she held was reaching out to grasp onto him weakly without her making a conscious effort, her power responding to her distress.  
  
“Imperius please just…just…!” ALadria’s voice was broken, looking up at him wildly, “Just hold on! Just-“

She turned away, looking over to where Malthael and Tyrael were trading another flurry of blows, completely ignoring Tevar as he hollered before he was tossed aside by Tyrael with a yelp hitting the ground hard.   
  
Imperius felt his core seize at the sight and he found the strength to reach a trembling hand for Aladria, grasping onto her arm as he lifted his head. He wheezed, but managed to find words once more, fighting through the growing corruption with every swell of energy he had to give, “Don’t let….Tevar can’t be harmed… not… not over this…I won’t…be able to stop … myself”

Aladria’s eyes went wide at his plea and dire warning about his condition, but there was a glint of something else behind the fear now. A sudden spark of valorous fire that manage to find its way into her heart. The scholar clutched at Imperius’s hand, giving it a small squeeze, “I won’t let this continue.” She promised softly before rising to her feet.

She turned towards the battle, one hand moving to grasp onto the book of Tyrael hanging at her side, the other wrapping about the staff she had brought with her. Her expression was one of a righteous fury, filled with purpose as she inhaled quickly and with a sudden loud cry of her own, thrusted her hands forward, unleashing a wave of energy.   
  
Tyrael and Malthael found themselves thrown apart, as a barrier of energy erupted between them, resembling the diamond gate of Heaven. Aladria panted softly, but did not lessen her glare as both angels finally turned to regard her, both tense and clutching their weapon’s tight.

Aladria fixed both with her fiery look, not lowering her hands or the barrier between them as she spoke.

 “All of you stop this!” She shouted, “Don’t you see you are killing Imperius!? Does nothing else matter but proving who is right about who is wrong?! Is that really the only fucking thing that matters right now!?”

Tevar winced as he got up on his feet, rubbing his rear tenderly, “You tell them Aladria…”

The beat of the heart began to slow once more, the human souls within murmuring and whispering, watching it all with strange fascination. The hate that had been bleeding off Tyrael was quick to vanish as he caught sight of where Imperius sat slumped, trembling and wheezing.

His weapon fell limp at his side before he was quickly rushing over, wings spread in alarm, his resonance, a sudden wail of guilt, “Imperius I…. I didn’t mean…I’m sorry.”

The archangel of valor sucked in a deep breath. The hatred was not completely gone in the air, but it was easier to tune out the subtle, ancient hate of the dark souls in the heart. Imperius gave a small shake of his head as he pushed the corruption back down, glancing at Tyrael, “Don’t….start doing things I’ve done, Tyrael. We both…we both know it never ends well when we fall to…anger.”

“I’m sorry,” Tyrael repeated softly, “I’m so sorry.”

Imperius could feel the eyes of everyone no upon him and he took another shaky breath before moving to rise to his feet. His form ached and he felt suddenly unbalanced as he nearly fell backwards if not for Aladria moving to catch his arm to steady him. Her gaze though was behind him, her eyes wide in alarm.  
  
“What is it?” Imperius murmured, now turning to follow her gaze when she merely shook her head.

The archangel of valor jumped some in alarm as he caught sight of the armored tail stretched out behind him. The movement caused the whole things to lash out, crashing against the floor with a loud thumb which in turn had the archangel trying to step away, as if he could leave his newly formed tail behind.

“By the arch-“ Imperius cursed, both hands reaching down to touch over where the tail now met the base of his armor, just above his rear, “I have a-“

He couldn’t even choke out the word.

Tevar reached up to pat his arm gently, “Don’t think about it.”

“Don’t think about it?!” Imperius hissed, “It is attached to me! I have a-! Like a bloody demon!”  
  
The tail lashed out in response to his distress, slamming hard against the floor and causing small cracks to form. The sound had him jumping again and he let out a snarl, reaching to take a hold of the offending limp, tucking it tight under one arm to keep the damnnable thing still.  
  
Aladria scowled, noting the obvious anxiety now in Imperius’s form and turned to round on the two other angels, hands on her hips, “Are you two done? Can we now try to work together to solve the issue of the heart?”

“I for one would like to make some fucking progress and go back to Heaven.” Tevar growled, “So let’s get some ideas going of how we can peacefully moves these souls along without causing Imperius to nearly die?”

 

Neither angel spoke. Tyarel’s gaze was fixed on the floor in shame, hands curled. His resonance spoke of his guilt and an acute self-loathing settling within him although lingering resentment towards Maltahel still murmured under the surface.

Malthael remained quiet, taking in Imperius’s appearance before casting a glance towards Tyrael. After a moment, he let out a sigh, crossing his arms, “Speaking of your companions sacrifice like that was out of line,” He murmured, looking away, “I will refrain from such comments in the spirit of preserving our comrade.”

The archangel of justice stiffened, not expecting the apology, but quickly looked away, “That does not forgive all that you have done, Malthael.”

Malthael chuckled, turning away from Tyrael, “Perhaps…but it is not you nor Heaven that needs to forgive me for what I did on Sanctuary. You were not the ones I did the most harm to.”

For a long moment, he looked over the Heart of Anu and the murmuring souls still massed within. His hands clenched tight, his entire form tensing before a soft sigh escaped him and his form seemed to sag. There was a strange touch of acceptance as he began to move back towards the heart, sliding his weapon back into the crude hilt off his belt. There was no hesitation as he moved to lay his hand against the surface of the damaged relic, fingers pressing into the hardened flesh. Imperius warily watched Malthael, letting his tail slip from his grip as he straightened his posture, “Malthael, what are you doing? We need to discuss this as-“

“We can discuss it all we want, but it doesn’t change the fact that there is only one way to solve this peacefully,” Malthael interjected, “I said I would help you restore the pools and I am already going to die.”   
  
His hand against the heart tensed slightly, “Then let my death, at the very least, serve some purpose to the restoration of our home.”

As he spoke, he moved his hand from the surface of the heart and plunged it into one of the holes in its side, wings flaring before pulling it back, dragging a mass of souls with him.

The reaction to this sudden agitation of the souls within was instantaneous. The mortal souls still massed inside came rushing out with a howl, black and murky as they swarmed to a greater bulk. The souls that Malthael had pulled out were all but snatched from his light grip and back into the main clump as it swelled and screamed. It was a choir of thousands of wronged souls, gathering together into a black cloud of hate, spite, and restlessness. Malthael only took one small step back from the now hemorrhaging heart, looking up at the mass, shoulders squared. Aladria and Tevar took a step back closer to Imperius, clutching at their ears, unable to take their eyes off the sight before them. Imperius felt horror rise in his soul, realizing what Malthael intended to let happen as the former archangel of wisdom simply spread his arms open wide, staring down the building mass of shadows.

“If you want me, then take me and leave the heart of Anu be,” Malthael growled, “Punish me, not all of Heaven when they want to help your misbegotten world!”

The mass of souls let out another loud keen before suddenly shooting forward, like a descending swarm of pitch black locusts, soon engulfing Malthael’s form completely. Imperius’s wings flared, raising in alarrm at the intense force that arose from the black cloud of souls as they swirled about. Even Tyrael was forced to take a few steps back, his wings wide in alarm and shock.

The entire room felt colder and the anger and hatred within the swarming mass of pitch black souls caused Imperius’s corruption to swell for a moment once more. Yet just when the howling mass seemed to reach a crescendo, it suddenly went still. The room was silent save for the soft, murmuring song of the heart of Anu as it began to regain some of its former glow, the various holes in its surface starting to slowly close up.   
  
“What’s going on?” Aladria asked softly.  
  
“I don’t know.” Tyrael murmured, “Something feels-“

His words were cut off by a sudden ripple through the souls and soon, gentle trails of energy began to sift through the black, slowly at first, then spreading quickly. There was a murmur of voices, soft, some disgruntle, but the black anger from before seemed to be lifting. The souls began to rise and flit away. Some souls continued to move about aimlessly, taking on more humanoid shapes while others moved steadily upwards through the ceiling and through the walls around. As the last souls began to pull away, Imperius felt a surge of relief sweep through him, tempered by a nervous hope as he saw Malthael’s familiar form still standing.

The former archangel was bleeding from more than a few cuts and tears along his form, the energy of his core trickling out, but he did not seem to have suffered any wounds that would be considered lethal. His wings were there, pulled close, which indicated his core was intact. Malthael’s posture looked somewhat dazed, as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself that he was still alive as he watched the souls drift away.

Only a single soul lingered a bit. It was in the shape of a woman, her features gaunt with the look of someone who had been sick for a long time, her gaze vacant of life, but there was something of a warmth about her. She turned towards the former archangel of wisdom, a smile on her lips as she reached out a hand to him which Maltahel gently took and cupped in his own.

No words were said, but something was conveyed. She smiled before she began to pull away, ascending with the rest and starting to fade away, leaving the room silent save for the steady pulse of the heart of Anu as it began to heal at last.

Tevar blinked, looking over to Imperius, then back to Malthael, “….what the fuck just happened …?”

Imperius shook his head, watching the souls depart, some looking peaceful, while others still wore expressions of anger, although it was tinged with some other expression that was hard to place entirely, “I am not sure,” the archangel of valor admitted before looking over to where Malthael stood, “What did you do…?”

“I let them judge my actions.” Malthael said simply, “Let them have the vengeance they so craved but…they didn’t’ take it.”   
  
“Who was the woman?” Tevar asked with a cock of the eyebrow, “She seemed to know you.”

“I suppose she was my salvation.” Malthael said softly, “The proof that what I did to atone meant something to someone.”

“Atonement?” Tyrael growled, “What atonement have you done?”

The former archangel shook his head as the last spirit rose upwards, glancing towards Tyrael, “That is between me and the mortal souls, and really, it is not the most pressing issue currently.”

Tyrael’ bristled, taking a step forward, “I am sick of your-“

“I would suggest we run.” Malthael interrupted. “Pure energy from the heart is rather lethal even to us in large doses.” 

“What-“

The beat of the Heart of Anu was growing stronger by the minute as the surface of it began to smooth out again, the rock-like, dark surface starting to shed to a more crystal-like texture that shimmered with every pulse. More fluid was starting to pour out of the larger openings at the top like a fountain, quickly causing the flow of water in the room to rise. Already it was starting to lap at their ankles and by how the pulses of energy were starting to grow more powerful and more frequent, and more and more water was pouring out of the artifact, Imperius quickly realized what Malthael meant.

 

“Move! Now!” He barked, already turning on his heels and all but pushing the two mortals towards the tunnel they had entered from, “Run!”

“Why!?” Tevar asked, although he was quick to break into a sprint.

“The Heart of Anu is about to rupture and given how long the pools have been empty, it will be a rather large surge all at once,” Malthael said as he ran after Imperius, “We need to get out of the path of the flow.”

Tyrael cursed, “…and when were you going to tell us this!?”

“I told you as soon as I could,” Malthael snapped back, “It is you who wishes to have needless conversation all the time!”

Behind them, the heart trembled, giving a final few flurries as the last holes closed up. For a moment it seemed to pause although it was growing brighter and brighter by the second before with a sudden an intense burst, the heart burst into a sudden wave of  energy, letting forth a louder keen of its own song. It was if a dam had burst and a wall of water was soon rushing towards them, crashing into the mouth of the tunnel, hot on their heels.

Imperius cursed and surged forward, all but picking up Aladria and Tevar as he broke into a sprint. Even for his size and with the sudden unbalanced feel of his form due to his new tail, he was able to keep just barely abreast of the crashing water. Malthael though had taken the lead, leading the way through the tunnels as water moved all about them, moving through the once vacant tunnels and turning the rivulets of energy from before into glowing rivers of power. There were screams of alarm form harpies who had been no doubt living and nesting in the tunnels who now were running for their lives as the long dormant source of power in their lands was restored.

 Imperius felt his core thundering in his chest as his every instinct pushed him to move faster, aware of how potent the holy energy at their back was. Whatever path it took to the pools of wisdom, its power lessened, but here, near the core, if what Malthael said was true, it would leave them nothing but burnt out shells from the touch of the light.

Not to mention the mortals would very likely drown if caught in the torrent.

That fact alone was enough to push Imperius forward and practically throw himself the last few feet out of the passage they had used to  enter the tunnels from and onto the safer higher ground above The flow of light surged by mere inches from where he had stood only moments ago and Imperius allowed himself a moment of relief as he stood there, both mortals nearly crushed to his chest. Tevar wheeze, pushing at Imperius’s form lightly as the archangel move to get to his feet.

“Can you let go the bear hug already!?”

“My apologies…” Imperius murmured, setting both mortals down.

Aladria staggered some, shaking her head, “I don’t mind the bear hug at all. Much preferable than well, being drowned…”

Tyrael shook his head, shooting Malthael a look before he looked over the frozen valley. The heart of it was a shining beacon not unlike the arch, bringing a cold light to the land. The once thin veins were now bulged with energy as the water flowed once again, twisting through the mountains and causing them to also to start to glow with new light. It almost felt like in a way, the land itself was coming to life once more.

Yet the glorious sight was marred and Tyrael was already tensing as he heard shrieks of anger and howls of rage start to build around them, echoing off the rocks as a swarm of harpies could be seen skittering over the surface of the valley below.

“Will they attack us?”

“Given that we more or less destroyed their homes and they outnumber us, thousands to one, Oh most defiantly.” Malthael drawled, already turning to start scrambling up the valley path and back towards the mountain tunnels, “We need to make the forlorn gate before they reach us or else they will most likely kill and consume us.”

Tevar paled and quickly tugged Imperius’s arm about himself again, “Bear hug me please. Bear hug me and bare me away to safety, my big muscle bound, most brave and excellent brother.”

Imperius didn’t need told twice and soon was barreling after Malthael, Tyrael falling into step behind him. Their pace was frantic as they half stumbled, half ran up the uneven path. Without the use of wings, it put them at a disadvantage that the harpies didn’t seem to suffer as already flocks of them were rising up to give chase, having spotted their prey running for their very lives. Aladria was clutching onto Imperius tightly while Tevar cursed, trying to line up a shot as he was held in one of Imperius’s arms, “This is fucking lovely by the way! Why does everything always go from bad to holy fuck me in the ass in zero seconds flat?!”

Tyrael moved forward, more stable on his feet, pausing at times to help push Imperius up over ledges given the archangel had the two mortals in his arms, “It does seem to be a pattern!” he shouted as they managed to get over another outcropping of rocks, the glow of the harpies starting to close in, “And I get the feeling Malthael knew this would happen as well!”

The former archangel of wisdom paused on the ledge he was balancing on, as nimble as a mountain goat, to merely shrug, “I thought it would be obvious when I said I had only bought us a bit of time. I will admit, I did not expect so many hosts to rise up after restoring the source. I suppose the long period of inactivity made them feel it was safe to live in the river pathways.”

Imperius growled, surging forward, “Save your musings for when we are not about to be torn apart!” he snapped, clambering up the path towards the tunnel entrance above.   
  
Malthael snorted before he was leaping up ahead again, going about the ascent like it was merely a casual stroll in the Gardens of Hope.

They reached the mouth of the mountain tunnel just as the first few harpy forrunners reached them, screaming and diving in with their crude weapons. Malthael pivoted quickly on one foot, charging briefly pass Impeirus and Tyrael to throw his scythe towards the attackers. The weapon carved a deadly arch forward, catching one of the harpy’s across the throat and another two across their wings and arms. They shriek as they fell to the ground as Malthael called his weapon back to hand before turning to rush into the tunnel. Imperius paused a moment, tossing Tevar up over one shoulder.   
  
The mortal let out a help, glaring at Imperius as he clutched at one of the angel’s wing struts, “Hey! Be careful-“

“Not now Tevar!” Imperius growled, summoning Solarion to his hand and with a roar, ramming the spear point up into the roof of the tunnel. Cracks quickly formed before giving way, sealing the path behind them.

“That should buy us more time.”

“A few seconds at least,” Malthael said, already moving to dash ahead, “We need to keep moving!”

“What about the fucking huge cliff of death!?” Tevar yelled as the slipped and slid forward through the mountain tunnels, unable to even take in the pulsating beauty of the overflowing rivers moving far beneath their feet, “You guys can’t fly!”

“Just hold on!” Imperius roared as the neared the exit of the tunnel, the howling gales of wind already splashing over his armor.

Malthael reached the ledge first and did not hesitate as he leapt off the edge. Tyrael followed him over, one hand already going to draw his weapon. Imperius squared his shoulders, picking up as much speed as he could before he followed after them, jumping into open air.

Falling was a strange experience for the archangel, especially when flight was a gift granted to the angels of Heaven by the arch’s light. For the mortals, the terror was clear in the sudden screams both let out as they plunged downwards.   
  
Below, Malthael twisted about, before driving the point of his scythe into the wall, sending up a flurry of ice and snow as it dragged down, starting to slow his descent. Tyrael soon followed suite, slamming El’druin into the wall and holding tightly onto the blade with both hands as he dragged down along the wall. Imperius did not need his spear for this, all but tossing it away to ram the free claw against the wall as they slid down the side, the momentum of their fall still carrying them downward.   
  
Tevar was hollering a string of curses the whole time while Aladria clung onto Imperius, eyes shut tight. The ground was still approaching quickly though and Imperius knew the mortals could not survive a fall like this. However, he, on the other hand, was far more durable.   
  
Imperius pushed off from the sheer cliff as they drew closer to the bottom and pulled both mortals in close to his chest as he curled up around them, wings flaring out with as he hit the ground back first. He let out a gasp, feeling the wind knocked out of him, but was relatively unharmed. Tyrael dropped down beside him, stumbling along as he worked to get his feet under him and move to Imperius’s side to help him up.   
  
Malthael gracefully landed on his feet, glancing up as more shrieks filled the air as the harpies began to swarm out of the other mountain tunnels, “Oh they are very upset to pursue us over the boundary…”

“Did we just start a war with the beasts?” Tyrael asked with a hiss as he helped Imperius to steady himself some.

“A possibility,” Malthael said, already turning to start running forward, “Keep going!”

Imperius grumbled, moving to start staggering forward a few steps before getting his legs under him, both mortals still in arm. Tevar was trembling, shaking his head, “I don’t know if that was exciting or terrifying….”

“Terrifying, very terrifying,” Aladria responded, voice trembling, “Let’s never do that again.”

“If we survive for a next time!” Tevar said, eyes growing wide, “The whole fucking mountain looks like it is violently vomiting those twisted fucks!”

Imperius didn’t turn around to look, his gaze fixed forward to the wide path far across the field of ice and snow that lead back up to the gates of Heaven and any salvation they hoped to achieve. There was screams at his back of the harpies, the horde of them starting to gain as they were able to fly in these wretched lands.

Every instinct was screaming at him to run faster even as he pushed himself to his limit, moving as fast as he could. Yet something insistently screamed at him, knowing he could go faster. Imperius let out a growl, the desire to get the mortals to safety mixed with the desire to survive that wailed through the demonic corruption and he shifted both mortals up to his shoulders, his wings wrapping tightly about them as he leaned forward.

With the next step he took, his clawed hands hit the ground. His newly formed tail stretched out straight behind him instinctively to use as a guide and soon, he was pulling ahead, even outpacing Malthael and Tyrael with ease as he charged passed on all fours.

Such running was something no angel had ever done.

But it was how demons ran and although they were not swift upon the wing, the minions of Hell had always been masters of movement across the land. There was shame in his soul for running like this, like some demon, but at the same time, hope was surging forth in his core as he managed to reach the bottom of the path, starting to ascend up through the fog and clouds.

The looming walls of the Forlorn Gate, once imposing, now seemed a glowing beacon of safety as they emerged from the bleak fog and broken landscape. Imperius wasted no time dashing through the open gate, rising back onto two feet in a half stumble. The two luminarei guards from before straightened in alarm at the sight of their commander, gripping their weapons tight.   
  
Imperius wasted little time in dropping both mortals and pointing to the two, “Raise the host of valor! All battalions, all hosts and bring them to the gate! Now! We are under attack!”

The two guards were off in a flash moving quickly to pass the order along.   
  
Solarion was already in Imperius’s hands as he turned towards the gate as Malthael and Tyrael came charging through. Behind them, the glowing mass of wings from the attacking harpies could be seen. Malthael leaped into the air as soon as he was through, rising up to the signal that had open the door and pressed it hard. The ancient gateway groaned as it started to close slowly to block the incoming mass and force the beasts to half scale, half fly over the giant wall.   
  
Tyrael turned on his heels, El’druin in hand as a few harpies charge forward, slipping through the slowly closing gate to attack, yowling in rage. The archangel of justice twisted away, ducking under the clumsy attacks before swinging his blade forward, slicing the first one in two before charging forward to drive the point of the blade into the chest of the second. The third fell down with a shriek as Imperius’s cleaved it in two while the forth fell back gurgling, peppered with a hail of arrows from Tevar.

Aladrai clutched her staff, looking up at the top of the wall, eyes wide as the tell-tale glow of harpy wings could be seen, “They are getting over the-“

A howl echoed in the mist, far louder than anything before, as if some mighty beast was bellowing its challenge and then one of the harpies was shrieking in terror as a hand emerged from the mist to grasp it, all but crushing it to a pulp. Another one was thrown back by another massive hand and still more were being picked off by sudden, vicious attacks, their energy being pulled away in a fashion eerily reminiscent of the reapers.   
  
Imperius tensed, although his wings spread in recognition as the towering forms of the twin angels of wisdom he spoke to before, Zariel and Sephariel emerged from the mist, shrieking their battle cries as they moved to defend the wall. Their large size made them powerful, but also easy targets and soon swarms of the harpies were coming towards them as more continued to crawl over the wall. Malthael was already on the move, up on the ramparts and moving forward, creating a path of carnage as he went to help reduce some of the swarm now aiming for the towering twins.  Along the ramparts, other angels of wisdom could be seen, rushing about, ripping and tearing into the invading army, sending the energy of souls flying about in a flurry.

Yet even with the help of the wisdom angels who had responded quickly due to their proximity to the wall, they were still largely outnumbered. It was a mere handful against legions, even with the combat experience and training of the angels of Heaven.

Yet battle was soon to be joined.   
  
Flashes of light echoed about the air as the luminarei appeared, their golden armor catching the twilight rays of the arch as they dove forward to the attacking mass clambering over the wall. Ira was at their head, a battle cry tearing from her throat as she slammed into the first wave of harpies, spinning and weaving as the wild angels tried to rip and tear at wings, their vicious maws looking to bite down on limbs. Imperius felt a surge rise in his soul as he vanished away to the ramparts himself, joining the battle in full.   
  
“Form up and drive them back!” Imperius roared, “Let not one of them breach this gate!”

His core burned bright as the valor in his soul spread to the troops as they battled against the horde. Weapons rose and fell in precision as the trained warriors of the luminarei applied their craft to the would-be invaders. Imperius himself was nearly back to back with Ira, the two falling quickly into the other’s rhythm of battle, ducking and weaving as they moved in a circular pattern, carving a ring of death around them.

“I did not expect to ever fight at your side sir,” Ira called over the din of battle, “It is truly an honor!”  
  
“The honor is mine, captain,” Imperius shouted back ducking away from a swipe of claws from the harpy before him, “I did not think you would ever temper yourself enough to make rank!”

Ira laughed, a feral smile glimpsed beneath the helm of her helmet as her spear shot forward, digging upwards into the chest of another harpy which she quickly tossed aside into another of its wretched kin, “Miracles abound over the ages!”

The bellow of war horns sounded as the main bulk of the host of valor arrived, rank after rank of angels diving down to lash out at the invaders. Shields flickered up along the ramparts as the angels of hope arrived, their song, powerful and filled with hymns of battle echoing overhead swelling each resonance with hope of victory to come. Powerful spells soon were crashing into the shrieking mass of harpies, all but blasting them off the wall as the scholars of fate made their presence known as well.

The army of Heaven may not have the numbers it once boasted, but against the more primitive swarm of the harpies, it was still more than enough to turn the tide of battle once more.

The sudden show of force was enough to put a tremor of fear back in the wild angels.  No longer were they attacking but now were retreating away, practically crawling over one another to escape the death that awaited them at the wall and disappearing back below the clouds and no doubt, back to their homes beyond the mountains once more.

Imperius felt his resonance sore and a cheer went up among the ranks of Heaven. A glimpse about brought relief as well as although there were many wounded, there seemed to be few if any casualties to speak of.

Imperius glanced up as Ignaceus came to land nearby, sheathing his blade, “I did not expect you to bring an army back with you for us to fight.” The lieutenant drawled, “Thought it was only about finding the source of the pools of wisdom.”

“I did not expect one to follow.” Imperius admitted, “But they will not attack again if Malthael is to be believed.”

Ignaceus looked Imperius up and down, no doubt noticing the corruption spread, “Are you well sir?”

“I am…fine. More or less.” Imperius murmured, raising a hand to rub lightly at his chest, “The mission was not as simple as it appeared to be but that is beside the point. Have the pools been restored?”

Ira gave a quick nod, “Yes sir although it seems to have ripped up and destroyed a good bit of the place, what with all that water suddenly surging up at once. Might take some time for it all to settle again.”

He nodded, unaware of his tail idly swaying back and forth behind him, “Good. Then our goal has been accomplished.”

Imperius’s glanced down, catching sight of Itherael as he all but ran up to embrace Aladria, the two hugging each other close. Tevar was sitting down, looking worn, but with a smile on his lips.  The archangel of valor tensed, quickly looking up to locate Malthael.

The former archangel stood quietly upon the ramparts, arms crossed with a circle of spears pointed at him and Tyrael was already making a beeline to him. Imperius sighed, gesturing to Iganceus and Ira to follow him as he teleported over to reach Malthael before the archangel of justice.

“Someone fetch some irons,” Imperius commanded, waving for the troops to stand down.

The troops pulled their spear back at the commander’s gesture, one of them peeling off to fetch Maltahel’s bindings. The former archangel sighed, glancing to Imperius, “I will go to my cell without fuss. You know this.”

“I do, but the rest of Heaven will feel at ease to see you kept bound.” Imperius responded crossing his arms, “And this time I want all your weapons turned in.”

Malthael let out a sigh, holding his scythe out, “Oh very well.”

Imperius looked to Ira and gave a jerk of his head, “Make sure you get all his weapons. Whoever frisked him missed a few. You have my full person to prod everywhere.”

The look of glee in Ira’s eyes was obvious as she stepped forward, taking the scythe from Malthael, “I’ll make sure to feel up everywhere.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Malthael drawled, already slipping a pair of hidden knifes from under the wrappings of both arms before handing over a knife pulled from just below one of his greaves, “I’ll turn them all in this time.”

Imperius stood there, having to hold back a slight feeling of surprise at just how many hidden weapons Malthael was pulling out. Mostly daggers and knives, but still weapons large enough to do real harm. Ira dutifully took each one, handing them off to one of her subordinates and once the last weapon was turned in, was quick to step forward and start to frisk Malthael thoroughly.

The archangel of valor’s resonance had a note of amusement as Maltahel let out a sigh as he was all but groped for weapons, shifting some as he fixed a look at Imperius, “Was this necessary?”

“Very much so. Someone needs to learn not to hide weapons from me like that,” Imperius chided.   
  
His attention fell to Tyrael as he approached, giving a small nod, “He is unarmed this time and will be returned to prison to await his trial. Just as agreed.”

“Understood,” Tyrael murmured, although it was clear he was none too pleased with Malthael still, although there was a note of uncertainty starting to take root, “I’ll let you handle that then. I’ll see to getting the wounded attended to and see what casualties we suffered.”

Imperius gave a nod, “I’ll lend you members of my host to assist in putting together the report.”

Tyrael gave a nod, shifting from foot to foot for a moment as if he would say something else before the turned and took off. Imperius watched him go, a hand rising to rub idly at his corruption before he turned to Ira and Ignaceus with a nod, “Escort Malthael back to his cell. In an hour, Ignaceus, I want a debriefing.”

“Understood sir.”

The archangel of valor paused, glancing around before raising his voice, “Ignaceus, do you know where Rakanoth is? I would think he would have come to indulge in carnage. “

There was a slight awkward silence from the lietneant before he gave a shrug, “Inarius and him had a spat. Supposedly the demon was doing something to him or the like. He holed himself in the mortal quarter and refuses to speak to anyone other than threats and curses.”

A sigh escaped Imperius as she shook his head, “I see. I’ll see to that after or debriefing then.”

The lieutenant nodded before turning to grab one of Maltahel’s arms, Ira grabbing the other as they started to haul the former archangel off.  For his part, Maltahel put up no protest to the treatment, more or less resigned at this point to the treatment.

Imperius glanced below, watching as Aladria and Tevar began to trudge off with Itherael’s help, the archangel of fate using his phase ability to help them away from the battle quicker.

Few angels were now lingering about and the archangel of valor allowed himself a moment to sigh, slumping back to lean against the ramparts of the Forlorn Gate, turning to gaze over the sea of clouds that masked the frozen world below.

It was another victory that may or may not benefit Heaven more than just giving them insight into the location of Hadriel and Auriel. It might very well be a key to helping to restore the arch. That thought brought a small surge of hope and relief to his chest.

It might be one less thing to worry about at least before he felt.

He looked down at the corruption. His chest was swallowed up by it now, both shoulders covered and his wings struts now sporting small creeps of it. The tail though was the more obvious addition, currently curled up about his feet.

That was going to take a lot to get used to.

He sighed, and looked away, pushing the thoughts of his own end away.

For now he was alive and as long as he drew breath, he would continue to ensure his Heaven would thrive.

For now, he allowed himself a moment to indulge of the euphoric feel of victory.


	22. A Brief Reprieve

Imperius had never prided himself on his patience.

Even as a fledgling, he had always found it difficult to wait for meetings, battles, or even just his turn on more than one occasion. His impatience though was only made worse knowing that Inarius had been stirring things up when he was away in the frozen wastes of the Forlorn Peaks.

He had given Ignaceus an hour, but even that felt too long for Imperius. He found himself pacing the war room at first before sliding into a seat at the war table to shuffle through the various reports and requests that covered almost every inch of the table now. He read through them, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Half his mind was going through all the scenarios that could have occurred, while another part was stretching out his senses to try and pick up on any notes of dissonance that echoed in Heaven.

Everything was silent and calm. Something about that lack of any dissonance somehow only made Imperius feel more and more on edge, like it was all simply a quiet before a storm.

The archangel of valor was jarred from his thoughts as the doors to the war room creaked open, Ignaceus finally arriving with a quick bow of apology, “Sorry sir. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting, just, ah something came up to cause a small delay.”

Imperius tensed, wings drawing closer to his back, “Nothing too serious I hope?”

 “No, just the guard gave me the wrong key and I had to go back to fetch it,” He explained, moving to take his seat, “I left Ira to attend to Malthael and apparently they got into some sort of verbal altercation which ended with her licking him?” He gave a shake of his head, “Whatever it was, he gave her a nice scratch to remember him by.”

Imperius let out a sigh, “I’m not surprised. By either of them,” he grumbled, crossing his arms, “And speaking of Malthael, has Inarius stirred anything up further?”

“An attempt was made but that seemed to have been derailed by the demon,” Ignaceus said folding his hands on the table, “I’m going to assume you asked Rakanoth to cause a general malaise of sorrow should Inarius try to incite the crowd?”

“I did. Just enough to keep things calm until I returned,” Imperius let out a sigh, “Nothing that could cause harm or do any sort of damage.”

Ignaceus gave a small nod, “I see…well, Inarius accused him of being a traitor and trying to do him harm. The two of them verbally had at it and then Rakanoth ran off to hole up and just hurls curses and roars at any who draw close. No violence at least.”

Imperius sighed, but couldn’t help feeling somewhat relieved. The worse hadn’t come to past at the very least and the situation for now was salvageable, “Pass word along that the demon was under my orders to make sure no one was going to incite rebellion while I was away. Any movement he made was because he deemed the situation becoming too aggravated and going well beyond simply talk of current events in Heaven. Unity is kept through peaceful demonstration, not to the point a demon feels you are going to rebel.”

“I’ll pass that along sir,” Ignaceus said with a nod, “And speaking of the demon, what should be done with him?”

“I’ll handle Rakanoth,” He is probably more upset with me than anyone given I told him to act as he did.”

Imperius let out another sigh, looking over the reports strewn on the war table before him, idly reaching for a few documents to start putting them in order, “I will be frank with you Ignaceus, I do not like it that Rakanoth had to step in at all. I feel like Inarius is forcing my hand in policing our own people just to ensure all that we have accomplished thus far is not lost.”

 “The line between peace and civil war is a hard one to walk and one that has been navigated time and time again in the past to success and failure,” Ignaceus responded, “Once we have things settled, there won’t be any need for keeping an eye on things every time you leave. These are just temporary precautions. I think everyone is aware of how tenacious our position is now.”

Imperius gave a nod, sinking further down in his chair. He knew Ignaceus’s words were wise enough, logical and practical as always, but the host of valor had always thought like that. Things were done for a reason and they put trust in that reason. What worried Imperius more was the other hosts or those who were once part of justice, better known for questioning what was said and more easily swayed by sudden turns of passion.

It was political minefield and he had no idea how to navigate it other than to try and trigger every mine he could before he stepped on it. The archangel of valor gave a shake of his head, glancing over at Ignaceus as he slumped forward, “Your council, as ever, is sound,” he murmured, “But I will not lie, it is times like this I wish the crown of Heaven was passed to someone on the council better at handling politics. I was not cut out to play such games of currying favor and pleasing everyone. I’m a general, not a bureaucrat.”

Ignaceus chuckled, “And maybe that is why you are best for the role. Perhaps I believe too much in the old wisdom, but sometimes the best rulers are those who didn’t’ want the power in the first place.”

The archangel of valor gave a small shrug, “But still, some are better suited for throne than others, desire or no. Some were practically groomed for the role of leadership.”

“Even those that were prepared for the crown sometimes begin to collapse under its weight. It is a burden that carries more than duties, but histories of rulers. Malthael succumbed to its pressure and even Auriel, strong as she was, crumbled under the weight it pressed down upon her,” Ignaceus gave a small shake of his head, “As it is, you are managing to keep things together when Heaven is at its most fragile without sacrificing your own principles. That is an accomplishment.”

“We will see if my luck continues to hold out,” Imperius murmured, one hand reaching up to run over the corruption on his chest. He almost cringed as he felt his new tail sweep out behind him some, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder at it.

He was still considering trying to physically remove the aberration from his being. It was only the knowledge of how that might cause some worse harm that stopped him thus far.

 “Is there anything else to report?”

“Nothing really. Just the usual day-to-day dramas to be expected. Someone always getting tangled up in a tree somewhere,” Ignaceus replied with a chuckle, “Itherael setting up some online groups for flights to better check in with each other and pass news along. I can get you a cellphone and get you signed into it all if you want sir.”

Imperius gave a shake of his head, “I’ll leave it to you or Ira to listen in on that demon nest of gossip. For now, I think I need to go settle things with Rakanoth before that situation gets exasperated by someone riling the demon up further.”

“Very good then and Imperius?” Ignacues gave a bow of his head, “I am glad you made it out of that place safely. You are doing a lot more good than you realize.”

The archangel of valor regarded his lieutenant with a tilt of his head as he rose to his feet “Getting sappy now are we? Should I be expecting a proposal by combat? “Imperius teased.

Ignaceus chuckled as he rose to his own feet, “Ah, do not read much into it sir. You are the greatest of friends, but I handle enough of you as your second-in-command. I do not envy whoever it is that may end up your song partner,” His lieutenant retorted good-naturedly, “But I wouldn’t be adverse to you finding someone in your life to temper your passions. It would make my job so much easier!”

Imperius snorted and gave a light punch to Ignaceus’s shoulder, “How you both amuse and vex me, brother.”

“As has always been my job,” Ignaceus replied with a dip of his head, “I will see you later then. I have to sort through the new batch of reports and see if it is anything worth noting or just more nonsense.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head, “What some people see as an emergency is frankly beyond reasoning sometimes…”

“Take a break when you can. I don’t want you burning out.”

,” Ignaceus chuckled, raising a hand in farewell, “I’ll take one when I need it, but my workaholic sensibitlites find this soothing rather than stressful. You take care of yourself sir. We still need you.”

“If I don’t, I’m sure the mortals will.” Imperius responded with a nod of his head.

The archangel angel of valor turned on his heels and left the war room. It was a short walk from the halls of valor to where the mortals had set up. Aladria and Tevar had made themselves right at home by this point, taking a few rooms now to decorate and expand into something that appeared like a mortal dwelling. The living room and dining room had become something of a casual meeting spot to relax and discuss rather nonsensical topics. It was too a point now the place had been given the name as The Mortal Covenant, although Tyrael was protesting the name due to it sounding similar to some cult.

Regardless of its name, typically it was rather easy to walk right in and relax. Currently though, access to the living room was blocked by the couch shoved in the doorway as well as other furniture piled up behind it. All the windows had the make-shift shutters pulled tight and the curtains drawn. The only indication of who might have built the barricade was the low growling just beyond of a very dissatisfied, clearly agitated demon. The waves of despair coming from the place had Imperius pausing, eyeing it warily before quickly moving to approach the barricade.

He paused a moment to hover up a few inches from the floor to peer through the small gap in the barricade, quickly spotting Rakanoth. The demon was sprawled out in the middle of the floor on his back, a bowl of popcorn close by and the TV was screeching out the theme song to some mortal show that seemed about running in slow motion along a beach in as little clothing as possible.

The demon’s growling was a constant rumble, but despite the ominous sound and aura coming off the demon, he didn’t not look like he was on the immediate attack at least. Honestly, Imperius felt he looked more like a young angel sulking after being told off by a superior. Arch knew Imperius had thrown his share of similar sulky fits.

It felt so strange to see a demon of all things demonstrating the same sort of brooding behavior.

Imperius raised a hand to lightly knock against the doorframe to announce his presence in case the demon had decided to ignore the feel of approaching resonance, “May I enter or will you attempt to attack me if  I do?”

The demon let out a louder growl, rolling over onto his belly and lifting his head to regard Imperius for a moment before baring his teeth, looking off to the side, “You may enter. I will not physically tear into you, but oh, we will have words archangel!”

Imperius sighed, teleporting to the other side of the barricade, mere inches away from where Rakanoth was still lying on the floor, belly down, “I figured us much. I heard you and Inarius had a verbal disagreement.”

 “He accused me of treason to Heaven and that I was undermining it!” Rakanoth snarled, giving a toss of his head, “He was trying to rile up those idiot pigeons you call troops up to come at me and have me put to death on his authority!”

“I have heard and I’m sorry for putting you in that situation.  I assure you it will not happen again,” Imperius responded, lowering his head, “You have done much for us and have been nothing but loyal thus far. I am not in the habit of honoring loyalty with death. I will make sure whatever I ask of you will not put you in harm’s way and I will make it clear to my own host that no one but I can command your death and that Inarius has no authority over the armies of Heaven.”

The demon let out a softer growl in response, giving another toss of his head, “I do not get why you care so much for my safety or why you would apologize to me, but do not think of me as upset by that fool Inarius!” The demon huffed, letting his chin in the floor with a soft thunk, “I am merely irked by that captain of chickens challenging your authority, my lord.”

Imperius glanced at the demon, tilting his head as he watched Rakanoth all but bury his face forward in the popcorn to chomp down on the crunchy kernels, “Next time, let him,” Imperius said with a shrug moving to sit cross-legged next to the demon, “He won’t get far. Unlike some past rulers, I have maintained a largely good reputation in Heaven. There is no crime, no sin that Heaven places upon me.”

“It still vexes me!” Rakanoth managed between a mouthful of popcorn, “You were not even gone that long! You merely stepped out for-”

The demon finally turned his head towards Imperius, cocking his head some as he went suddenly silently, as if he were trying to feel something out. The sudden silence made Imperius uneasy, his tail unconsciously shifting back and forth.

“Is something else the matter?”

Rakanoth took a small sniff of the air “No, nothing wrong with me although,” the demon took deeper inhale before cackling, shifting to sit up more, “Something is new about you.”

“What do you even mean?” Imperius grumbled, his attention on the TV screen, “Nothing has changed.”

“Oh? Then what is this?”

Without warning, Rakanoth leaned down, giving a nip to Imperius’s tail and causing the archangel to all but leap away, nearly sprawling onto his back with a confused snarl, “What do you think you are doing!?”

“Sensitive there are we?” Rakanoth asked, all but cackling as he shuffled closer, giving another nip to the tip of Imperius’s tail and causing the archangel to once more shuffle back. This time though, Imperius pulled the tail into his lap to keep it away from the demon.

“It is not sensitive! I am just not use to having this aberration attached to me!”

“Oh come now Imperius. It is not terribly peculiar. I say it is a lovely tail.” Rakanoth said, tilting his head, “Seems very prehensile as well. Could possibly hold things with it or use it as a weapon. I say you got lucky. You could have had an embarrassing stubby tail like Izual or Ghom.”

“It is an abomination!” Imperius retorted, “I was not made to have a tail!”

“Apparently you were as you have one now,” Rakanoth responded. The demon flopped forward then so he was stretched out on his belly again, starting to wiggle forward slowly, like a cat on the hunt, “And it is pretty! All spiny and sensitive!”

“I do not appreciate all this talk of tails when I came here to-“

His words were swallowed up by a sudden yelp as Rakanoth pounced forward, knocking him over.  The archangel of valor was sprawled out on his back, cursing and pushing against the cackling demon that was making the best attempt to try and lick him like an over-excited puppy. There was nothing aggressive in Rakanoth’s body language. If anything, it seemed playful, especially given the demon’s twin tail spines were thumping against the floor.

Imperius though, was caught somewhere between intense displeasure and confusion, all but holding Rakanoth’s mouth closed to keep his tongue from snaking out.

“What do you think you are doing!?”

The demon attempted a response, although whatever he was saying was muffled given his mouth was being held shut. There was a rumble in his chest though as he continued to squirm about. Imperius growled, tail swishing back and forth, although he managed to scramble back some before releasing the demon’s maw.

Rakanoth just cackled, pouncing forward just enough to nip at Imperius’s tail again, this time managing to latch onto it with a gentle press of teeth and start to drag the cursing, snarling archangel backwards by it.

“Unhand me you demon! I take back my apology! You are an unapologetic cur!” Imperius hollered, claws digging across the floor as he resisted in vain being dragged.   
  
Rakanoth only let out a rumbling purring sound as he moved to sit up more, arching his neck and all but dangling the cursing archangel in the air by his tail for a moment before he yelped, forced to drop Imperius when one of the archangel’s wings flared out to bap him angrily.

Imperius grunted as he hit the floor, moving to scramble ahead before he was letting out another string of curses as Rakanoth pounced, dropping his full weight onto his back starting to purr, “I swear Rakanoth, when I get up-“

The angry protest died quickly in his throat. His entire form when rigid as a sudden shock of pleasure went up and down his spine, tingling out to all his extremities and causing him to shiver. Pressed so close to the demon, his wings had splayed out flat against Rakanoth’s chest and picking up the lord of despair’s rumbling purr. The vibration of it was pitched just low enough to cause the resonance of his wings to hum in response, causing the very enjoyable tingle against his soul. It was as if someone had entangled wings with him in a rather intimate fashion. The jolts of pleasure also was causing heat to burn at his core, spreading like a slow fire in his veins.

The archangel of valor had never shared such an embrace with any of his own kind. The feeling was strange and new to Imperius and he was caught between feeling absolutely appalled and shoving Rakanoth away or arching up to feel more of that delightful rumble that had his resonance warming up and singing like a giddy fledgling wrapping wings with another angel for the first time. He opted for just going completely still. Only his tail moved, swishing out behind him back and forth quickly in a subconscious show of enjoyment.

“Oh? What are you going to do when you get up?” Rakanoth purred, pressing a bit more up against Imperius’s back and intentionally purring louder.

“Going-Going to nnnnngh!” Imperius felt absolutely mortified at the nearly pleased sound that edged out when a particularly strong purr caused a more intense resonate against his wings. He was shuddering, feeling a surge of heat coming through his core. He let out a strangled groan, slumping forward, “D-damn you demon!”

“You cannot damn what is already damned,” Rakanoth responded before nuzzling forward against Imperius happily, tongue snaking out, “You are making such pretty sounds!”

Imperius jolted when the demon licked him, feeling a mess of conflicting reactions and desires and a great deal of shock at what was even happening. He did manage though to find enough strength of will to roll over onto his back and away from the rumbling purr before moving to work both knees up under Rakanoth. He managed to get one foot pressed against the demon’s chest, slowly pushing the demon up and off him with a grunt, “You…you are being devious today!”

“I’m innocent of any wrong doing,” Rakanoth answered, not really fighting being pushed away, but not complying either. More the demon went limp like a dead weight, as Imperius continued to press upwards until he was all but propping the demon up with both legs.

“You are trying to tempt me!”

“No I’m not. I’m playing,” Rakanoth answered, grinning toothily wiggling a bit in the air.

“I do not think I care for your brand of play,” Imperius growled, although he was more than aware that his armor was a bright shade of red, not from anger, but from embarrassment, “Especially when it seems the sort of play that Azomodan’s bloody consort would want!”

Rakanoth cackled, “Oh my Imperius! Your mind is growing so filthy! I never implied anything of that nature, but, I’ll have you know, I learned many things about pleasing others serving under Andariel. Not all she offered was pain!”

Imperius growled, giving a solid kick to push the laughing demon back onto his haunches before quickly rising to his feet with a huff. His wings were still tingling with the vibrations from before, causing them to appear more puffed up and bright, trembling faintly, “I dislike you.”

“But you don’t hate me.”

The archangel of valor growled, crossing his arms and looking away, “….just….just see to it you put the living room back in order. Tevar will want in here in the morning after he rests. He will want to watch his ridiculous shows.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll put the mortal nest back together,” Rakanoth drawled, “Will you stay to relax?”

“No. I have other things to do.”

The demon’s shoulders slumped as he all but slowly sagged to the floor, once more belly down against it and letting his chin hit the floor with a loud thump, “But I wanted to watch a movie with you. You could stay for an hour or two…”

Imperius eyed the demon. Rakanoth was just lying there as if all the world was put upon him and he was the most miserable creature in creation. Given what he was the lord of though, perhaps that was true.

The archangel of valor crossed his arms before letting out a frustrated sigh, “You set up the living room and I’ll watch one movie with you but if you come near me with that, that purring, I am putting you through the wall and leaving you mounted there!”

The demon perked up immediately, grinning and nodding before starting to hustle about the room, pushing the furniture back into place, “I will do my best to keep to my side of the couch!”

Imperius merely grunted in response, leaning up against the wall, not really understanding why he was humoring the demon at all. Maybe he was feeling some weariness in his soul from the mad dash from the harpies and the confrontation with the souls about the source. Maybe he was just slowly losing his mind to the corruption.

All he would admit is he didn’t really like seeing the demon sulk like that.

He just felt bad for Rakanoth for having him nearly killed by Inarius and his followers. He was just amusing the demon with a movie and nothing more. It was just part of his apology.  

“Can you get more popcorn? And the fizzy black water?” Rakanoth asked excitedly as he pushed the couch into place in front of the TV, “And candy, yes.”

“Fine fine….just get this place clean,” Imperius grumbled before teleporting away to the kitchen, shaking his head.

He was just humoring the demon to make up for before.

It had nothing to do with the fact that he wasn’t nearly upset about the play fighting as he should be and found something weirdly endearing about it.

By the time he returned, everything had been set up and painstakingly, Rakanoth had gotten some sort of movie up to play. The demon was all but squirming in excitement, both tail spines thumping against the floor and he was letting out a strange sound as he did his best to muffle his purring. The archangel of valor just shook his head as he set the refreshments down on the coffee table before slumping back onto the couch, “Let’s watch this movie then.”

“Yes! It is a good one! It is called…ah…what did Tevar say…” Rakanoth cocked his head thoughtfully before giving a small shake, “I don’t remember. Just about some large ridiculous creature that uses its large ears to fly and save something called a circus.” The demon responded, moving to crawl up on the other side of the couch, “Very safe. Nothing sinful for your delicate sensibilities.”

“So it is a mortal child film.” Imperius drawled as the credits stared to play.

“Maybe. It does have alcohol in it,” the demon responded as he shifted about to curl up on the couch, already carefully pulling the popcorn bowl closer to him.

The archangel of valor merely snorted in response, settling down himself, arms crossed to watch the movie that the lord of despair had selected. Quickly he found himself zoning out and frankly, he couldn’t even say what the movie had been about. His attention had drifted elsewhere. The only time he had once more focused on the movie and the room itself was when Rakanoth managed to wiggle his way back to the other side of the couch by stretching out and had rested his head in Imperius’s lap with a low purr. There had been a half-hearted attempt to push the demon away and really, Imperius didn’t have the energy for a tussle at that moment and thus relented, allowing the demon to remain. Of course that meant Rakanoth inched his way up more until his head was on Imperius’s chest and he was all but draped on the archangel, purring softly, dozing off.  

By the time the movie ended, the archangel of valor was idly petting one hand over the shark-like head of the demon lying on top of him, other hand holding the remote as he channeled surf mindlessly and just accepting for now, he wasn’t going to be moving anywhere.

Or more, he had no want to move and return to his duties and deal with the various headaches that awaited him in the war room. Watching the movie with Rakanoth had been far more pleasant than anticipated and the period of rest had allowed Imperius to get his thoughts in order somewhat.

Even if he still was unsure of why he was letting this demon rest on him for so long.

“Well now, aren’t you two looking cozy!”

Imperius glanced up as Tevar shuffled into the living room with a yawn. The archangel huffed lightly, giving a small push against Rakanoth’s head.

“I’m not,” Imperius grumbled, “he is heavy.”

“I am,” Rakanoth murmured sleepily, “He is warm.”

Tevar arched an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across his face, “…so…are you two dating now?”

The question had Imperius flushing red and trying to abruptly sit up, pushing against Rakanoth more insistently to get him off of him.

“No!”  
  
“Yes, “was the sleep murmur from the demon.

“No,” Imperius growled forcefully, managing to inch the demon off of him more, “The demon lies.”

Rakanoth’s response was merely a toothy grin and a lazy lick of his tongue against the hand trying to push him off. Imperius huffed and merely teleported away, letting the demon’s face thunk into the pillow, causing Rakanoth to let out a disgruntled growl.

Tevar gave a shrug, holding up both hands as Imperius re-appeared near him, “Just saying Imperius, if you want to have some sort of interspecies relationship with a demon, I will fully support you bro. Who am I to come between an angel and his emotional support shark?”

“We are …friends at most!” Imperius hissed, “Do not shame my honor by saying I would consort with a demon in that way!”

Tevar shook his head, chucking, “All right big guy. All right. Anyways, I’m about to make some omelets and wanted to ask if you two wanted any.”

“Bacon!” Rakanoth barked, lifting his head, “Only the bacon with extra bacon!” the demon paused, cocking his head, “And sausage! With lots of syrup!”

“Meat lovers for the Rakanoth. How about you Imperius?”

The archangel paused, idly scratching at the corruption on his chest, “I will be fine. I have to get back to my duties for now. I have a few things I wish to discuss with Itherael.”

“Suit yourself.” Tevar said with a shrug, “Come on despair bro. Let’s go make a meat palooza for breakfast,”

The demon was quick to follow after the mortal, already giving another of those strange purrs he seemed more prone to give. Imperius idly wondered if all demons purred when they were happy about something.

It wasn’t a sound he had heard come out of any demon before, but then, he had never been around demons when they weren’t in battle.

He shook his head with a sigh, stretching his wings a bit before moving to the nearest balcony and leaping over the edge. He allowed himself a few moments of free fall before spreading his wings wide, flying upwards among the spires of Heaven.

There were other angels flying in the early morning of Heaven, some on their way to their own duties while others were dancing about, chasing each other in the angelic form of play. The angels of hope  in particular were out in force this morning, using their song to help wake up the gardens of Hope to drink in the rays of the light that was slowly climbing high into the sky again.

Everything felt peaceful this morning and to see the signs of life once more return to his home only served to bring a surge of warmth to his resonance and a song of hope to his soul.

It was seeing Heaven so peaceful that reminded him of what he needed to protect as its ruler.

That peace though didn’t extend to every area of the silver city though. The library of fate was a bustling hive of activity in the early morning and Imperius found himself already dancing about the scholars the moment he set foot into the place. The angels of fate didn’t even bother to acknowledge him, their attention focused on either scrolls in hand or small devices they were tapping over. All of them were lost in their own world, moving out of the way at the last minute most of the time to avoid crashing into another of their kin. It almost seemed they had a sixth sense that allowed them to realize when they were about to collide into something and steer them clear of the danger.

Imperius only found himself shaking his head as he teleported about to avoid causing a disturbance to whatever tasks they were set about on, looking about to try and spot Itherael.

Eventually, he managed to find the archangel of fate in one of the side rooms, feet propped up on a table, tablet in hand and cup of tea in the other. Aladria was curled up beside him on the sitting couch, tapping at the tablet, seemingly explaining something to the angel.

“Mortal babies need a little more attention. They aren’t born fully functional like an angel fledgling from the arch you know. Going to need a crib for sleeping.”

“But we don’t know what the baby is even going to-“

Itherael looked up sharply as he felt Imperius draw close, quickly bringing the tablet down, “Oh! Imperius! I did not expect to see you today.”

“I wanted to come and see if there was any updates on trying to locate Mephisto’s liar or anything about Hadriel,” the archangel of valor murmured, feeling like he had intruded on something between the two, “Why are you discussing mortal babies?”

“Well-“

“A friend of mine was having a baby shower and Itherael got curious about it.” Aladria hastily interrupted, “I can assure you, we’ve been running programs all yesterday and today to find things, right Itherael?”

“Oh, yes.” Itherael stammered, moving to sit up more, “So far there is very little to go on, but ah, after talking with Aladria, I think she has comeupon an idea that might work in tracking down Hadriel.”

Imperius looked between the two, more than aware that Aladria had rather quickly changed the topic of conversation, but he did not pry, instead focusing on what Itherael had said, “Oh?”

Aladria beamed, already moving to get to her feet, gesturing for Imperius to follow her, “I was thinking about it a little bit while on the journey we had yesterday. Just a few idle thoughts here and there when we weren’t running for our lives.”

The mortal scholar led the way over towards the main computer room, giving a nod of greeting to a few of the fate angels inside monitoring things before going to table where her laptop sat, taking a seat. Imperius moved to lean over her shoulder, peering at the screen where a spreadsheet had been set up.

“I was thinking, if Hadriel is a deep agent, it means he had to take up aliases from time to time, right? And given Mephisto is probably linked to that group, means he is recruiting mortals, which means, at some point, Hadriel was taking up mortal aliases, living a mortal life, and all that.” She said, fingers tapping over the keys, “So I was thinking, we compile a list of his known aliases, where those aliases lived, and see if there is a pattern to where he is moving and living under those names.”

“And if there is a pattern, we will know the approximate area that he is active in and also where Hell is the most active, “Itherael added, “Which will be an approximate position of where Mephisto is.”

Imperius’s wings flared some, “That is very ingenious Aladria.”

She flushed, ducking her head, “Only problem would be trying to figure out those aliases. So far we only got one for sure that one fate angel heard about. That one though is the one he used back in Westmarch only twenty years after your fall. ”

Imperius gave a small nod, “I see, well, Iganceus probably knows a few as Hadriel did contact him and it seems that Hadriel himself was more in touch with the host of valor over other ones. Not to mention he probably was only speaking with angels of a certain rank about his activities.”

“The more we can find, the better our data spread,” Aladria said with a smile, “and maybe that will help with whatever you are going to do with the chalice.”

 Imperius tensed for a slight moment, feeling a sense of small unease, more so because it brought Malthael back into the conversation and that always seemed a sure fire way to spoil any words to be had, “Ah. Yes. I will speak with my lieutenant about getting that set up for later this day if possible. I’m sure everyone is anxious to see what answers it may reveal.”

“I’m interested to see how it works. Much of the reading about it is rather vague.” Aladria said, glancing up at Imperius as the archangel of valor took a few steps back.

“Malthael kept his secrets close,” Itherael murmured, “To be fair, little is known about him other than what was shared growing up. As he grew older, he grew more…distant. More cold.” The archangel of fate gave a small shake of his head, “I never really understood why.”

“Seems just some things in Heaven have to be a secret just in case from what it sounded like,” Aladria murmured. She paused, pursing her lips before turning back to the computer, opening up another document, “But it was a fascinating journey! I took all the notes I could about the harpies. Intriguing really. They seemed like angels.”

 

“They are. Technically speaking,” Itherael responded, jumping at the change of topic, “One of seven tribes of angels that originally emerged from the arch.”

Aladria looked up curiously, “….tribes? That is the first time I’ve heard it discussed that way.”

Imperius moved to take a seat, idly tapping a claw against the chin of his helmet in thoughtfully, “Ancient history and little discussed. It would not have found its way properly to sanctuary…”

“More like things were lost in translation and not understood properly,” Itherael said with a shrug, “Mortals call angels Seraphim although the term is ah…not technically correct.”

“Oh?” Aladria quickly sat up more, already opening a document, fingers flying over the keys to start taking notes, “How so?”

“Seraphim is the name of one tribe in Heaven. One flight, the more technical term,” Itherael explained, “It just so happens the Seraphim are a majority more. Angels born of light song at the pinnacle of the arch are considered Seraphim.”

Imperius gave a small shrug, “Given most light songs occur there, most new angels are now seraphim, technically, but the reborn auras of other flights mix in, so most see themselves as a mix.”

“Pure resonant angels are terribly rare if not completely gone at this point.”

Aladria gave another nod, glancing to the two angels, “That’s interesting….I wonder why I did not see anything about this in most of the history books.”

“Mostly implied. Most of it was ah, redacted to try and remove all the old divisions,” Itherael murmured, “Civil wars in our ancient history were common enough. Up until Magtherius took the throne, the divisions of flights still remained. In fact, my and Imperius’s generation is considered the last angels born with clear roots to a tribe not of Seraphim energy.”

Aladria blinked, looking between the two with a tilt of her head, “What are your roots, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I’m mostly Dynamim and Seraphim,” Itherael said with a shrug, “My one parent was pure Dynamim, the other was Seraphim mixed with something else, although I don’t recall what specifically.”

“Pure resonant Exserium.” Imperius declared, puffing up proudly, “Born of the light song of Pandemonium.”

“Which is why, unlike most angels who suffer from being away from the arch’s light in Pandemonium, Imperius lasts a great deal longer and can push attacks further,” Ithreael explained, “The Exserium tribe was born on the boarder of Heaven and Pandemonium, larger than meost angels, more solidly built, their wings a touch more fiery, and a bit more sturdy against demonic corruption.”

Imperius winced just a bit, a hand rising to touch at his own, glancing away, “A bit more sturdy, but not immune.” He murmured.

Itherael awkwardly cleared his throat, glancing away, “But ah, yes. Imperius is exserium….most angels of valor are or at least in part exserium. Much of the culture of valor has taken many aspects from their exserium roots.”

Aladria nodded, “What about yours? Dynamim?”

“Born at the edge of Heaven, some say the edge of reality itself. More energy based and known for a very brightly glowing inner core and forms barely held together.” Ithereael said with a small chuckle, gesturing to his wings, “My wings appear unattached to my form, but are connected loosely by energy, a clear trait of the dynamim tribe. Not the strongest of flyers. They preferred to hover or float, taking their time to study than to rush to combat.”

“Interesting…so other fate angels take after dynamim more? Many of them have more energetic forms.”

Imperius gave a nod, “More or less, although the host of wisdom also has many with traits of the dynamim. The death maidens I recall were more akin to them..”

“Defiently a bit of my people mixed in,” Itherael agreed, “Or possibly archainum.”

Aladria perked up, “Archainum is another tribe then?”

“Pacifists and meditators, more prone to calm and born of the mid-arch. Most closely related to the seraphim, although known for the blue, more solid appearance of their wings, and not being ones to take up traditional weapons.” Itherael explained.

“Auriel was half archainum, although she got her temperament from her other half which was of the wild tribe of amorinum.”

“Grove keepers and more content with the wild, growing world of Heaven,” Itherael explained quickly, “Known for their song and soothing quality of their voices. The mortals have often named them sirens because of this.”

Aladria nodded, “So Archainum, amorinum, Seraphim, dynamim, and exserium,” she murmured, “You said there were seven though, what are the last two? Which one did harpies come from?”

“Ah, the harpies.” Itherael murmured, “That was the tribe of Ophanim, born on the song in the place that is now the pools of wisdom. They were banished after a civil war, driven to the forsaken wastes. I do not know if any ancient ophanim have endured, but…the harpies are their twisted descendants. No one is sure what the original Ophanim may look like, although, some believe the strange mutations of the host of wisdom are in part a result of mixing with harpy energy at the arch.”

Imperius scoffed softly, “A rumor only. The dissonance of wisdom that causes their souls to remain silent could have a number of reasons from the demonic to just the light song itself being flawed.”

Itherael gave a small nod, “I for one believe more so ophanim resonance is mixed in though given both have demonstrated the same pattern of rattling their wings and resonating calls in their armor. Also historically, ophanim have always said to resonant differently...”

 

“It is a good theory,” Aladria said with a smile, “I think I find myself believe that as well, although I think together we can work on my notes and see if we can give more weight to it.”

Imperius huffed some, shaking his head, “I do not think Malthael would be too pleased to hear you saying he is party harpy…”

Itherael snorted, “I really don’t care what he would think.”

“So,” Aladria quickly interrupted, “That’s six tribes, what was the last?”

“The rarest of them all, Kyritim” Itherael said softly, “They are considered all but instinct save for a single pair of resonances in Heaven.”

“Their resonance did not mix in?” Aladria asked, brow furrowing.  
  
“They were such a rarity, it was not always known if they were mixing in or not. The tribe went silent for so long, it was assumed they had been killed or quietly living in Heaven,” Itherael murmured, “They were known shapeshifters, able to take a variety of forms. Not just illusions, but physically changing their make-up…”

Aladria pursed her lips, “You seem almost uncomfortable by that.”

“It is a rare show of power, nothing no other angel could do,” Imperius explained, “And they lived far from Heaven,  deep in Pandemonium, some say on the very cusp of Hell itself. They were immune to degragration in Pandemonium…. And there were many unsettling rumors about them.”

“Some say they were redeemed demons, born of Hell into Heaven and chose to try and draw more of their kin out of Hell. Others say that the interactions with demons ah…was more intimate,” Itherael murmured.

“Wait,” Aladria said with a shake of her head, “I thought the first nephelem were born when Inarius and Lilith came together? That is what all records say. There is nothing before nephele mbefore that!”

“Nephelem itself is a Kyritim word,” Ithreral responded, “It means born of two worlds. They demonstrated power that was far more nephelem-like as well.”

“Then why was humanity not born sooner?” Aladria huffed, “This isn’t making sense…”

“It wasn’t widespread, it wasn’t at the scale of what Inarius would accomplish,” Itherael explained, “And any that were not able to pass as a demon or angel, no doubt were exterminated. If there were actually nephelem within the tribe of kyritim, those secrets when to the grave with Magtherius, the last true kyritim…”

Aladria blinked, “So the two that are known to carry their resonance are…Tyrael and Inarius?”

“They are the last traceable lines of kyritim yes, although it is clear some seraphim mixed in during the light song that birthed them, diluting their sires resonance. They cannot shape-shift, but their aptitude for magic and incredible shows of destructive power has manifested,” Itherael shook his head, “The kyritim lineage is the least documented one and little is known of them.”

Imperius let out a sigh, “All of it matters little now though. It is in the past.”

“The past always holds answers,” Aladria retorted, glancing up, “and this information gives me more to chew on. There are traits between them, history here left untouched. Somewhere in here, there could be the answer to reversing the corruption inside you.”

Imperius started some, glancing to her before looking away, “Aladria-“

“I’m not just giving up on you because you say there is no cure.” She said tersely, eyes glued to her computer screen, “Sometimes the past holds all the answers if we know where to look. Are there any more formal texts in the library?”

“A few. I’ll fetch them for you. It is something to chew on while we wait for more input on Hadriel’s aliases,” Itharael murmured.

“No, no, you tell me where they are and I can go look.” Aladria huffed, “Just because the doctor said take it easily, doesn’t mean you have to start rolling me around like I can’t do anything.”

The archangel of fate only crossed his arms, wings arching some, “It is just high in a hard to reach-“

“There are fate angels abound here. I’m sure one could help.” She shook her head with a smile, standing up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss into the blackness beneath the archangel’s hood, “I’ll be fine love.”

Imperius looked away, feeling a slight flush, once more feeling like some sort of intruder between the two, especially when Itherael leaned in, his wings lightly wrapping around her, “You are terribly stubborn, but I know better than to argue with you,” he murmured, “But if I may suggest you start your search in the records of legend. Might be more there in terms of folklore for you to muse on.”

“Excellent suggestion, as always,” she chuckled as she took a step back, their hands lingering together, “I’ll see you later for lunch. Just the two of us still, yes?”

“Unless Tevar decides to invite himself again. Still just us,” He returned with a chuckle.

The mortal scholar smiled before she turned to head out, leaving the two archangels behind. Imperius gently cleared his throat, glancing away, “So the two of you are…songmates?”

“More or less, yes.” Itherael murmured quietly, shoulders tense, “I was going to tell you sooner-“

“I’ve known for a while you two were together Itherael. I am not blind nor that obtuse, ”Imperius drawled,“ Just…the courtship didn’t seem very traditional.”

“Mortals move fast, but I cannot complain. I’m just…glad you aren’t’ reacting terribly to this.”

Imperius raised a hand to rub at his corruption, wings tensing, “I…really doubt I am one to judge when it comes to attraction,” he murmured before giving a shake of his head, “But regardless, I am happy for both of you.”

Itherael nodded and for a moment he looked as if he would speak again. There was a tension to his wings that held for a few moments before he looked away, “Thank you Imperius. It means a lot.”

“Although, I warn you now, Aladria is like my sister and if you cause her any harm or discomfort, we will have words and they will not be civilly given,” Imperius growled.

Itherael laughed, shaking his head, “You do not need to worry about that, I can assure you. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hurt her at all.”

Imperius gave a small nod before straightening his posture, “I will go see what Ignaceus can provide you in terms of Hadriel’s aliases, and I’ll send word if we can manage to gather everyone to see what Malthael can see within the chalad’ar.”

“I’ll keep an eye open for any messengers.”

The archangel of valor gave a nod before once more leaping across Heaven in a flash of light, appearing once more in the hall of valor. He almost let out a sigh as he glanced around. Despite what had happened yesterday, despite all the problems still crushing down about him, for some reason he found himself in better spirits than usual. The small bit of hope Aladria had given and the casual talk so far today seemed to be doing wonders for his mood.

The only small bit of dread upon his resonance was knowing that a pile of requests and reports awaited him in the war room no doubt and Ignaceus was probably already at the ready to hand him a pen to start signing his signature a half dozen times. A part of him wanted to go back to the living room, crawl under Rakanoth and make the excuse he could do nothing for the rest of the today on account of the demon being on top of him. He knew the lord of despair would play along with the rouse.

It would be a good excuse to just lay around and play video games with Tevar as well.

He mused for a bit before he let out a huff, squaring his shoulders and stalking to the war room, forcing himself to his duties. He had a roll to fulfill, even if he yearned for a small bit of downtime. It did not mean his mood did not worsen any less with each step, shoulders already hunched forward by the time he entered the war room.

Other than Ignaceius, diligently at work at the other side of the table, the room was empty. His lieutenant didn’t even bother to look up as he wrote, one wing merely twitching in physical greeting, “Good day sir.”

“Ignaceus,” Imperius murmured, “Where is everyone?”

“Given the war yesterday, I gave them a lax day of duty to unwind. Most went down to the arena to play a few rounds of crush the goblin.” He said with a shrug.

“I see,” he murmured, rubbing a hand over his corruption, “I have a few requests to make, if you are not too overburden.”

“I’m at your beck and call as ever, my lord.” Ignaceus said, pausing in his work, “What do you need?”

“I need Chalad’ar brought to the private council room this evening as well as the supplies requested by Malthael to cleanse and bring the relic back to life. I’m hoping he can do a reading of it today,” Imperius began, pacing over to the nearest window to peer out, “And the second request is if you can, I need a list of all known aliases of Hadriel. Aladria has an excellent plan in using those to complete an investigation of her own and give us some approximation of locations he and Mephisto may be hiding.”

Ignaceus nodded, “I can do both easily.” He said, already pulling a cell phone out from within his armor, one finger flying over the screen, “I’ll send a text to the council members to gather in the evening and have two of the luminarei pick up the chalice. I can have guards escort Malthael to the council room as well.”

“There is no need for that. I’ll escort him personally.” Imperius said with a wave of his hand.

“Very good sir. As for the request for Hadriel’s aliases, usually I would say such information is sensitive, but given the fact he has never used the same name twice…probably safe to share those openly.” Ignaceus murmured, “Most were generic mortal names anyways.”

Imperius gave a nod, moving over to the piles of report, eyeing them before taking a seat, Thank you. Where would I be without you?”

“On the floor, cursing as you set fire to all the paperwork in frustration,” Ignaceus responded, “Speaking of which, there is quite a bit to tackle.”

Imperius sighed, slumping forward, “I suppose the requests are still coming in?”

“Of course. The paperwork of Heaven is an eternal conflict in of itself.” Ignaceus responded with a chuckle, already pushing an inkwell and quill towards Imperius, “The stack to your right needs your review and signature.”

Imperius glanced to the right and had to muffle a groan. THe stack itself was near level with his shoulder and dutifully, Ignaceus was adding more almost every second. Wearily, he slipped the first one from the top to read over it quickly before grabbing up the quill to start scrawling his messy signature on it.

Only a few reports after the first one, Imperius felt like his soul was about ready to leave his body. His resonance and the demonic corruption were in line for once in terms of mutual dislike for repetitive, monotonous task. He had stopped reading the reports, just looking at the title before signing them in an effort to get more finished. Eventually, he was just staring at the signature line of a report, tapping the tip of the quill against it, glancing about and praying for something to happen to call him away.

He did not know how Malthael had dealt with all this. It gave him a new appreciation for the sheer amount of patience the former archangel of wisdom must have had to do this, on his own with no support, each day.  However, he did recall that Malthael did take “off days” which were more or less going to personally fill out tasks that were perhaps a waste of time for others. Going to fledgling choir concerts to be the key speaker before the performance, helping to do flower arrangements with the host of hopes yearly festivals, and even one time, he had been asked to find the spire with the best sunlight for some artwork dedicated to meditation and light which was more or less him lounging about in Heaven to get a “professional opinion” on which place had the best sun.

Imperius glanced to the massive stack of papers, tapping a finger against the table before setting aside his quill. Surely there were such reports somewhere, some easy, more hand’s on, perhaps ridiculous quest he could undertake.

“Ignaceus, are there any requests or reports that you would ah…consider more trivial?” Imperius asked.

Ignaceus tilted his head, regarding Imperius silently before rising to his feet, “Oh, more than I would like to admit we have.” He drawled before moving across the room to a small tower of reports and bringing it over to slam on the table before Imperius,”All of these. In alphabetical order. If you want to do any of them, I suggest looking past the first fifty.”

“Why?” Imperius asked, picking up the first one.

“Because Tevar submitted the same request fifty times since learning he can put requests in,” Ignaceus drawled, “And all fifty are the dire need to acquire a boggit.”

Imperius stared at his lieutenant for a moment before shaking his head and flipping through the reports to reach the end of the ones Tevar put in, “He is irritatingly persistent about it.”

“I say just let him have his boggit and let him deal with the consequences of trying to contain one.” Ignaceus grumbled, “It will be dead as soon as it tries to move into the pools of wisdom.”

“And then he will be heartbroken. You don’t want to deal with a mortal that loses something they have given a name,” Imperius grumbled, “I broke the toaster he named and you would think I committed murder. We had to have a funeral of all bloody things!”

Ignaceus chuckled, “Then guess we will have to endure the reports.”

Imperius eyed Ignaceus before letting out a frustrated sigh, “…if you want to pass the boggit hunt off to some other angel just to get it out of the way, you can do so with my blessing,” he murmured, “Because I know he will only submit more reports of the same…”

He pulled the next one out of the stack, staring at what was written on it before quickly putting it aside, his armor flushing.  It was a request for having another angel help talk two rather nervous angels through their first duet together. Imperius had never even done a duet, let alone a light song with less than twenty angels about.

By no means did he think he had the necessary…insight into how to discuss that, not without probably making the who situation more awkward than it already was. He quickly grabbed the next one, having to suppress a groan and setting that one aside for similar reasons as the previous one.

The odd reports did not get any better from there. There were ones for everything from needing someone to help pluck the slugs off some of the larger plants in the garden of hope to one that had probably been put in as a joke to give a nice foot rub of all things. Imperius found himself wondering how many angels in heaven had enough free time to put in such strange requests. He was just about to give up on any of these reports giving him the distraction he wanted and simply accept his fate of being chained to the stack to his right when the war room doors slammed open.

Imperius jumped, half rising to his feet and expecting an emergency, especially as a string of heated curses could be heard as the captain of the luminerai came stalking in with a fury to her core. However confusion quickly replaced concern as he noticed that Ira had come in, not with weapon or report of an attack, but with an armful of red roses all bound together with a beautiful, daffodil yellow silk scarf.

Ignaceus looked unsurprised, setting down his quill and resting his chin in the palm of one of his hands, “Oh my…did your secret admirer strike again Ira?”

“The fucker is back!” She growled, stalking over to the table to slam the bouquet of roses onto it, “Fifty red roses and the scarf were sitting in my arms locker today!”

“A lovely gift to be sure! Seems whoever has been admiring you from afar for the past two centuries still is in pursuit,” Ignaceus responded, idly flicking one of the rose petals off his report, “I must say though, you are so awfully angry at them for just trying to show their affections.”

“That’s bcause it has been going on for two hundred years and I havent’ caught the fuck!” She growled, wings falring as she clenched both hands, “No matter what tricks I pull, what plans I put in place, whoever this is has eluded me!”

A sudden thrill though was in her resonance as she slammed her hand down on the table, leaning in towards Ignaceus, “But this time, this time I’m going to catch them. I know they are somewhere in Heaven now. That narrows the playing field!”

“We’ll see Ira.” Ignaceus said with a chuckle, “They have managed to elude you for a long time in this courtship.”

Imperius looked between the two, “…I feel like I’m missing context.”

Ira jumped when Imperius spoke, before quickly straightening up and clearing her throat, looking away with an obvious flush to her armor, “Its nothing just, you know…valor courting things.”

“Her two hundred year love-hate relationship with a secret admirer,” Ignaceus teased, “Who has been leaving her gifts and touching words on her doorstep and has yet to be caught.”

“Going to be caught!” Ira growled, “No one does this to me, giving me all this stuff, outpranking me for two hundred years and gets away with it. I am the queen of pranks! I will catch them this time! I am going to outfox this fuck!”

“And what will you do when you catch them?” Ignaceus drawled.

“I’m going to fight them!” She growled, wings puffed up although the embarrassment and flattery was quiet apparent in her resonance, “I’m going to fight them with one of their stupid, pretty roses between my teeth, beat them into the ground, and then shower them with gifts!”

Imperius relaxed, biting back a chuckle.

His earlier concerns faded quickly as he recognized the tell-tale signs of a courtship hunt going on. The archangels of valor were a proud lot, boisterous and loud and very direct. Courtship, however, was a far more passive aggressive affair that often was drawn out.

It was always about leaving gifts and treasures for admired angel. Sneaky little tokens of affection that were laid out all around. The whole goal was to get away with it for as long as possible until caught. The longer it could be kept up, the more serious the intent of the courtship.

Two hundred years was rather normal for such things, but it was typically an indication that the courtship was starting to reach its conclusion and either the admirer would be caught or would make a move to reveal themselves. Given Ira’s reaction, once the culprit was revealed, there was little doubt that the typical battle that followed such long courtships would commence.

After all, a proper angel of valor wanted a song partner as strong as themselves. An intense battle was customary, especially when the passions were heighted by the long, infuriating wait they were forced to endure before the courtship game came to an end. It was always a sight to see.  

Not to mention, it was always adorable to see what was being given and the reaction the recipients had, all while knowing somewhere, some other angel was muffling their laughter at their passive aggressive victory.

“I’m sure you’ll catch them soon.” Imperius said, shaking his head, “You seem to have an idea of what to do.”

“No traps.” Ignaceus drawled, “I don’t want to be untangling poor hope angels from your poorly planned snares. Also no kidnapping assumed suspects and interrogating them in dark rooms….poor Ureniel is still having trauma.”

Ira huffed, looking away, “….of course sir. I’ll be good, but I’m still going to find them. One way or another.”

She looked down at the roses and scarf on the table before picking up the scarf and carefully rapping it about, flushing all the while as she buried her face against it, wings fluttering, “Azomodan’s tits, it even smells like daffodils…”

Imperius couldn’t help a chuckle, feeling his resonance warmed by just seeing such familiar, rather innocent displays of affection once more. In the past, when their numbers had been so much greater, it used to be a common occurrence to see angels so flustered over trivial things like that.

It was a refreshing change from the gloom and tension that seemed to have been hanging over Heaven for so long.

Ignaceus merely chuckled, shaking his head, “Oh, you are smittened, aren’t you?”

“With this scarf yes, not with the one constantly leaving these gifts about!” Ira retorted, armor flushing.

“Well if you need help, can always submitted a report.” Ignaceus said, his tone amused.

Ira rolled her eyes before jabbing a finger at Imperius’s lieutenant, wings flaring, “Oh, I’m not asking you for help! You know who it is and would just be laughing behind your hand the whole time!”

Ignaceus chuckled, “Please, captain, I’m always laughing about you. I have to laugh just to keep from weeping at the stupid things you do!”

“Oh haha commander,” She drawled, placing both hands on the table and leaning in close, “You are lucky I like you or I would let you have it.”

“Or more you tried to let me have it in the past and you still haven’t been able to do so,” He retorted,  leaning in himself some, “I commend your passion in battle, captain, as well as your skill, but experience still favors me.”

Ira’s wings flicked out lazily, almost dismissively as she leaned in more, “That sounds like a challenge, commander.”

“Does it now.” He returned, his usual soft voice, taking on a slightly lower tone, wings flaring, “What will your admirer think of you wanting to challenge your commander all the time?”

“Maybe might make them jealous enough to come out and face me properly,” She returned with a grin, “And maybe I’ll just beak the answer out of you before then…”

Imperius looked between the two, not sure if they were flirting or not. It was hard to tell as he did not know Ira personally well and Ignaceus, despite knowing him for a long time, was hard to read and completely in control of his resonance emotions.

Ignaceus only chuckled, idly moving to swipe one of Tevar’s reports, rolling it up and moving to tuck it into the side her scarf, “Until then, there is a little mission for you. Go catch a boggit for the mortal man, would you? I know you are the expert on the little swamp cretins after all.”

Ira tensed before letting out a huff, pulling away with a flush to her armor as she pulled out the report, “Always business with you sir.”

“Of course. Need to keep you busy so you don’t go booby trapping the halls,” he returned with a chuckle, leaning back, “Imperius has given his blessings to the mission.”

“A small one if you could,” Imperius said quickly, “And …not too temperamental. Something he won’t immediately kill.”

Ira chuckled, “I’ll get a good one, don’t worry. I’ll even stick around to help train Tevar in proper boggit care for his new boggit child. Maybe help build a pen for it with him.”

“Just make sure it isn’t too fat. Rakanoth might eat if it looks to appetizing…” Imperius murmured.

Ira snorted, already turning on her heels, “Demons don’t eat boggits. They got more refined tastes than eating literal trash, but I’ll keep that in mind,” she paused in the doorway to look back at the two, her gaze shifting to Ignaceus, “And when I get back, you and me, the training yard, midnight. I’m kicking your ass.”

“I’ll look forward to the attempt, captain.” He returned with a chuckle.  
  
She let out a huff before stalking out and Ignaceus shook his head, picking up one of the roses to inspect it, “It is good to see some in high spirits still eh?”

“Indeed.” Imperius paused, glancing to his lieutenant, “Do you really know who it is?”

“Of course. I know everything that goes on in the host of valor,” he responded, tone amused, “I know exactly who has been playing this game for two hundred years.”

“Who?”

Ignaceus chuckled again, giving a shake of his head, “Oh, I’m not going to tell sir. Don’t want too many knowing the truth and spoiling her hunt and no hints either sir. You’ll just have to wait for when they finally meet in combat.”

“I’ll look forward to who has managed to keep ahead of her for so long.” Imperius glanced to his captain, “… is it an angel of valor?”

“I said no hints sir,” Ignaceus chided as he rose to her feet, “And we can’t stick around to gossip like fledglings, especially when I know you are only asking to get out of signing more documents.”

Imperius looked away sheepishly, crossing his arms, “Not trying to get out of anything.”

Ignaceus only crossed his own arms, eyeing Imperius before shaking his head. He paused though as a chime went up from his phone and he moved to pick it up, swiping through his messages, “The ceremony to purify the water of the pools of wisdom was finished. They are ready to have the chalice brought in.”

The archangel of valor could not help the sigh of relief as he nodded, “Excellent. Then have the other members of the new council gather. I will go fetch Malthael.”

“Hopefully he will be willing. Especially given how disgruntled he was last I saw him,” Ignaceus murmured.

 “I’ll see to it.” Imperius said, stepping away from the war table, “Send out word for everyone to gather as soon as possible on the private council chamber.”

Ignaceus gave a nod, “Very good sir. I’ll see you there.”

Imperius watched him go before looking over at the mighty pile of papers still needing his signature and quickly teleported away with a flick of his tail.

Talking to Malthael was a better prospect than spending another minute filling out forms.

In a flash, Imperius teleported away and reformed within the prison, stretching his wings some as he moved towards Malthael’s cell a few steps away. The dark angel didn’t even flinch or acknowledge the archangel’s appearance. For once, he was not reading and instead was pent over a blank scroll, writing.  Such a thing was not unusual for the former archangel though as Malthael had always been a rather prolific journal keeper, taking exhaustive notes about each day and sometimes writing out snippets of poetry or prose.

Malthael did not glance up as Imperius approached, wings flicking idly out behind him, “Already back?”

“Things move a little faster these days,” Imperius responded, moving to fetch the manacles, “I am hoping you’ll be able to use Chalad’ar to help us in our search for Auriel and Hadriel. Any information we can find makes our search easier.”

The dark angel did not look up from his writing, wings giving another flick, “I already promised I would,” He drawled, “And I keep to my word.”

He finally paused in his writing, looking over what was on the paper before setting his quill aside and using a small cloth to wipes his fingers clean of the small bit of ink that had managed to stain his fingertips, “Who all will be there?”

“Myself, Tyrael, Inarius, Tevar and Aladria, Itherael, Ignaceus, and most likely Rakanoth,” Imperius responded with a shrug.

“Is it wise to let the demon in?”

“Rakanoth is fine. He is…reforming.” Imperius responded, wings tensed a bit defensively.

Malthael chuckled, “You seem oddly fond of the beast.”

“I am fond of all my soldiers,” Imperius retorted as he opened the cell door, “The demon is still irritating.”

“Yet it always sits and follows you.”

“He. Rakanoth is not an it.” Imperius growled as he started slip the bindings on.

Malthael merely tilted his head and Imperius felt his gaze drilling into him, “How curious…”

Imperius let out a small growl, giving a hard tug to the manacles and nearly causing the former archangel to stumble, “Do not pry into my personal business or shall I bring up the rather intimate moment you shared with a mortal ghost?”

Malthael let out a scoffing noise, “I can assure you, there is nothing romantic there! The very thought you would think that is revolting.”

“I do not know who that mortal woman is nor her connection to you,” He drawled, looking over to the reaper as he started to make his way up the stairs, “I only saw you two holding hands.”

Malthael was silent for a moment, posture tense before he glanced away, “The relationship was one shared between family members. Such gestures of affection were common of the time period,”He paused, wings flaring some within the bindings, “If you want to know so badly, look up Lady Woodbrun. You should find enough to put the pieces together yourself from there.”

Imperius knew from the terse tone Malthael was using, further questions would yield no answers. There was a genuine edge of irritation which was, in of itself, surprising. Especially given that Malthael had always had a reputation in Heaven as being rather open about his attractions to others. More than apparent in the fact he had committed to many duet lightsongs in the past. It was rare for him to act so defensively about a relationship, especially one with a mortal.

“I’ll have to ask Aladria about it.” Imperius murmured, “Lady Woodbrun was it?”

“Yes.” Malthael responded tersely, “Now if we are done trying to claim I have attraction to mortals I raised as my own fledgling, can we please move along to wherever my chalice is?”

Imperius sighed, gesturing with one hand, “Come along then.”

The two lapsed into silence as Imperius teleported them away, appearing once more in the hallway that lead to the private council room. A few angels were there, turning to stare at the two as they passed before hurrying on their way. Imperius paid them no mind. Within his resonance, a kernel of worry was growing. Of course there were concerns about what Malthael might even find within the chalice itself, but there was also concerns about the others who would be present in the room. Inarius was making it no secret he was on a personal vendetta against Maltahel and was doing everything in his power to ensure his execution.

He would want to make a scene at the council gathering if only to have more fuel for the rhetoric he was looking to spread throughout Heaven. That along with the fact that Itherael was remaining silent about the issue and Tyrael was turning a rather blind eye to his brother which in turn was only making Inarius bolder.

Imperius only prayed all went well at this gathering and no incident would occur.

By the time Imperius arrived with Malthael, the others were already starting to arrive. Tevar and Aladria were chatting idly with Itherael while Rakanoth had claimed is corner once more. The demon was preoccupied it seemed with trying to gnaw at a particular dry looking patch of skin, growling under his breath about troublesome itches. Tyrael had arrived, although his gaze was fixed on the chalice that now sat at the center of the table, not even glancing Imperius’s way.

The archangel of valor took a moment to look over the chalice of wisdom as he moved towards his own seat nudging Malthael to walk in front of him.

On its own, Chalad’ar was not the most brilliant relic of Heaven and its slightly battered appearance spoke volumes of the years of abuse and disuse it had suffered. The edges were scuffed from being thrown around more than a few times and there was a significant layer of dust still clinging to the grooves of the relic even after it was hastily cleaned.

It looked no more important than any mortal chalice.

Malthael paused as he regarded Chalad’ar, shoulders tensing for a moment before he slowly started to edge forward to the seat before it, “…I see no one saw it relevant to take care of the chalice in the years following my fall.”

“No one knew the ritual to restore it after Tyrael threw it at the council.” Itherael murmured, “And many wanted to deface it or have it destroyed outright since then. Auriel had it locked away after some nephelem tried to melt it down.”

“Charming.” Malthael drawled, “So everything I touched or had associated with me had to be expunged.”

“I was against it but no one was listening to me,” Imperius grumbled, taking a seat. “And no one wanted to admit Tyrael was a poor aspect of wisdom.”

Tyrael stiffened, his attention shifting now to Imperius, “I did my damn best, Imperius. You were intent on-“

“Can we not start an argument? Not this early?” Itherael interrupted, both his fingers moving to rub under his hood where his temples would be, “We are already going to have problems this meeting that don’t need exasperating…”

Imperius sighed, glancing away, “Apologies Itherael…”

His attention slid to the door where Ignaceus was entering with two flasks of liquid set upon a trade, Inarius slinking in on his heels. The former prisoner of Hell stiffened some at seeing Malthael, his wings pulling in close and a roll of hate washing off his resonance. Malthael didn’t turn his head to acknowledge the two, his attention fixed on Chalad’ar as he idly ran a finger over the edges, working off more of the dust from its surface.

Inarius continued to stare before reluctantly tearing his gaze away to move over to a seat beside Tyrael, sinking into it slowly, “So, are we going to get this over with?”

Malthael glanced up, silently regarding Inarius before his attention slid down to Chalad’ar again as he pulled the chalice closer to himself, “There is no need to rush. It is best to take ones time when using a relic that is meant to peel back the veil to peer into eternity.”

Ignaceus set down the tray next to the former archangel of wisdom before retreating back to the door to close it and stand guard and ensure no one interrupted. Imperius shifted some, watching as Malthael picked up both flasks.

“Has the water from the pools of wisdom been through the proper ceremonies of cleansing?” he asked, picking up the first flask and inspecting it closely.

“Your sages that remain claims they did all necessary ceremonies to purify it,” Ignaceus responded curtly, “Same for the vapor.”

Malthael cocked his head as he set the flask with the water down and picked up the second one, swirling it about idly, “Very good.”

He continued to inspect the second flask carefully a few more moments before he set it down to pick up the first one, uncorking the top and slowly, started to pour the water into the chalice. The glowing liquid was an opaque glow once more, appearing more like the fluid that had been flowing from the heart.

Not a single drop was left in the flash as the former archangel held the flask nearly vertical now, tapping it to shake out what remained inside.  After the water had settled within the chalice, Malthael moved to uncork the other flask.

A glowing, gold mist began to rise out of the vial and Malthael was quick to lean forward some, waving a hand to waft it closer to his being. Tyrael tensed, wings pulling in close to his back, “Is it necessary to-“

“If you look into the chalice with a mind full of questions, full of desires, you will only ever see what you want to see,” Malthael interrupted, “The chalice holds answers, but you must look upon it without thought and allow its answers to slowly trickle in. It can be painful if you try to take in all at once.”

“Wait, so to answer your question you aren’t supposed to think of the question?” Tevar asked, brow furrowed, “That seems…counter-productive.”

“You hold no questions or desire. As your mind settles into the flow of its power, a single question will begin to form to direct your mind towards the goal.” Malthael murmured, his posture starting to relax as the last of the glowing vapor was pulled into his form, “Eternity is vast….your mind must not fight it or try to solve all mysteries. You must….let go…”

The   former archangel’s shoulders were going more lax as he slumped forward, his hands coming up to cup the side of the chalice. He was looming over the surface of the chalice now, practically boneless as he spoke, his words slightly slurred, as if he was mere moments from falling asleep.

“Just have to see what is beyond the surface, lost, buried…” he trailed off, wavering some before starting to murmur under his breath in a language that was wholly unfamiliar to Imperius.

Whatever he was saying was causing the runes along the side of the chalice to glow briefly as it was properly activated once more, the water starting to ripple. Tyrael shifted as he glanced away, “I did not know you always got yourself…inebriated on vapors of the fruit of eden before you used it.”

Malthael merely chuckled in response, “A fact intentionally left out. Should anyone use the chalice, whatever wisdom they found would be…skewed. Incorrect. To their own folly.” The former archangel slurred, “Just like you used it to deliver the black soulstone to me.”

Tyrael tensed, anger flaring in him, “You already knew what I would do?”

“You would trust the mortals to safe keep it. As a mortal yourself…you would see it as a better route to circumvent the council completely, as you did when you ripped your wings off and as you did with the worldstone. Your pattern of behavior was….predictable.” Malthael murmured, his words becoming fainter as he started to slump forward more, his face mere inches away from the surface, “You did not know the power you were trying to use. I knew you would use Chalad’ar…and find only the answers you wanted to see.”

Tyrael’s anger was acute and Imperius was already preparing to move between the two, especially when Malthael was completely lost to whatever he was seeing in the chalice, having fallen silent, his posture completely relaxed now, wings sagging low against his back.

Inarius was tense, watching Malthael closely. Tevar, for his part was shifting about, looking between everyone and then back to where the former archangel sat, staring deep into the chalice.

“So we just sit here until he sobers up with some tidbit of wisdom, like some sort of magic fortune cookie?” he asked slowly.

“More or less,” Inarius drawled, “He could take hours. I recall him staring into that cup for weeks.”

“Well, if this goes on for a week, just saying, going to need some breaks myself. Some actual entertainment. Watching a guy stare into a cup on a high is, well,” he gave a shrug, “Not really the highlight of entertainment.”

“It shouldn’t take that long,” Imperius grumbled, “His longer stays of wisdom were usually musing on a whole array of issues and he was passing word to his sages to pass along to Heaven and the council. He could find answers-“

His words were interrupted by a sudden jerk from Malthael, his entire body tensing up. He was clutching onto the side of th chalice hard enough now for the tips of his fingers to leave small scratches against the metal. He was starting to shake, wings drawing close, an indication of extreme agitation, especially when they started to rasp.  

“Is that normal for-“

Tevar’s question was interrupted by a sudden shriek from Malthael as he started to spasm then, his form locking up more. His fingers were digging against the chalice as he convulsed, as if trying to move away from the chalice, but something in whatever eternity he was staring in was trying to pull him in. Imperius moved over quickly without thinking, wrapping an arm about the former archangel and pulling him back forcefully.   
  
As soon as the line of sight was lost with the chalice, Malthael’s body went completely limp. A gasping wheeze escaped him as he crumbled against IMperius’ chest, his wings bleeding off to smoky vapor as if his very resonance was trying to escape his body. He was shuddering still and seemed as if he lacked all strength, sinking further towards the floor, only kept propped up by Imperius’s grip upon him.

“Malthael!”

There was no response from the former archangel other than a wheezing inhale and a faint rasp of his wings as they sluggishly twitched against the ground, trying to reform once more.

The chalice was still glowing brightly, although there was a strange vapor rolling out of it now as the liquid took on a more blue-green hue to its glow. Tyrael had risen to his feet, and even Inarius looked alarmed.   
  
Itherael had come around the table quickly to help Imperius in propping Malthael back up in his chair,l ooking anxiously up at the archangel of valor, “That is…that is not normal. Was something not prepared right?”

“The sages gave it to me. If anything was not prepared right, it was on their end,” Ignaceus said, his own wings tense, “I can go question them immediately about-“

“Everyone was prepared right.”

Imperius looked down as Malthael spoke, his voice hoarse. He still did not have the strength to sit up on his own, still leaning heavily against the two angels helping to keep him up, “The chalice is…tainted.”

“Tainted?” Aladria murmured leaning over to get a closer look at the outside of the chalice, “ As in demonic taint?”

Rakanoth growled, “I sense nothing demonic about the cup.”

“Not demons.” Malthael managed out, “Human souls…experiences. Feelings. The chalice has become…drawn to the energy of mortal souls.”

“What?” Imperius looked over at the chalice and then back to Malthael, wings lifting in confusion, “What does that even mean?”

Malthael let out a shaky sigh as he moved to sit up more on his own power to speak, “I suppose Tyrael used it when he was a mortal and in doing so, the chalice…adapted to a mortal mind. In doing so though, I believe it has tapped into an unknown source of power, a collection of memories and feelings of mortals long passed and it is…” He inhaled sharply, shaking his head, “To look into the chalice now, is to live a thousand lives not your own and feel your very soul become lost to sea of memories it is linked to…”

“So what you are saying is, it is useless.” Inarius drawled, “Well then, so much for you having any use left in Heaven, Malthael.”

The former archangel looked sharply towards the former prisoner, shoulders tensed, “It is not I who through misuse of a relic caused it to start functioning differently.”

“But it doesn’t function how you want to. You can’t use it to tell us anything about Hadriel and Auriel, and that is what matters,” Inarius sneered, “Can it be purified or disconnected? Is there any way to fix it?”

Malthael stiffened, “No. It would be like trying to close a door against the tides of the very ocean. It is dangerous for anyone to look into and I believe it is best for it to be put away-“

“Or better yet destroyed,” Inarius interjected. “If it is dangerous and useless, then no point keeping it around. Useless things need to be removed.”

“It is dangerous, but it may have use still,” Malthael growled, shoulders tensing as he sat up more, “If given time-“

“You don’t have time, Malthael. We don’t have time. And last I checked, you have no power here. Your opinion is of little consequence,” Inarius interrupted, “And no one but you even cares about the blood thing.”

Imperius’s wings tensed as he rose to his feet, tail lashing irritably behind him, “The chalice will be kept locked in a vault for safe keeping.” He growled, “As my word is law still, Inarius, despite what you may think about your own.”

Inarius’s wings flared as he rose to his feet slowly, “It is a waste of resources to guard the damn thing. All it is now is sentimental value, just the same as the book of virtue.”

“It is part of our history and if it can be used for some other purpose, then it will be kept here,” Imperius snapped.

Tyrael rose to his own feet, moving to put a hand on Inarius’s shoulder, “The chalice is dangerous. Destroying it may only make things worse anyways brother. I agree it should be guarded. You need to put aside-“

Inarius pulled away from his brother with a scoffing noise, looking about the table, “All of you are mad, so caught up on these ancient mystical relics. You hold lies so dear to you, don’t you? Is it belief alone that makes you want to protect them so much, even when Itherael can’t use his own scrolls of fate, the chalice is now a dangerous mortal device and well…” he paused, moving to pull forth a familiar book from within his robes, “Did you know that the most revered text of Heaven, Sada’Vanus, is the biggest lie of all?”

Imperius tensed, wings flaring as Inarius stood there, the book of virtue itself in one hand, his fingers drumming idly against its cover, “Inarius! That book is not-“

“Not to be touched? Left to sit on display in the tower of a long dead archangel whose legacy was all but destroyed by his own apprentice?” Inarius sneered, “We were all told it wasn’t ours to take but really, am I not more worthy of it given whose resonance makes up my core?”

“The book is not an heirloom, Inarius.” Malthael growled, starting to rise slowly to his feet despite how his body still trembled, “It is passed down on virtue of character-“

“Then if that is the case, why did Magtherius leave it to you? In fact, why did you never use it like Magtherius did to perform powerful miracles?” Inarius retorted, “Is it perhaps it was not the book that was able to do it, but Maghterius himself because the book was a lie?”

“Brother, you are going too far-“

“I am not going too far!” Inarius snarled, pulling away from Tyrael again, “I want Heaven free, not only of the influence of the demons of Hell, but of the clawing, conniving, and crushing claws of our own ancestors! Their burdensome laws that helped lead us to ruin!”

“Inarius, I know you are upset, but this is beyond rash!” Imperius snapped, wings flared out, “You will put Sada’vanus down and-“

“To hell with this book! Do you want to see the truth of what is really in it!?” Inarius hissed, raising the book up above his head, “Then look! See for yourself! Sada’vanus is blank! There is nothing written within it!”  
  
As Inarius’s declaration rang out, he opened the book wide for all in the room to see.

Imperius started, wanting to look away almost instinctively, as if somehow seeing the blinding white pages would somehow do him harm. Another part of him though was filled with a crushing alarm, a deep set feeling of almost betrayal at seeing that what Inarius said was true.

There was nothing written within the book of virtue.

The shock was enough to mute him, but for Inarius, his voice only rose louder, thundering and commanding as he flipped through pages of the book for all to see, “And you believed so much in this blasted thing, didn’t you? We all did! All this time though, the bloody thing was blank. There was no magic, no trick to it! No history of our ancestors or words of wisdom from Anu himself. We were all fed a lie. What point is there in keeping relics when their only use was in making us all believe what the light was!? What we were meant to do!?”

“Because you understand little about them, Inarius. Just like you understood so little about the worldstone!”

Malthael’s voice was the only one rising to match Inarius’s own, cold but burning with an underlying anger, “The book is meant to be understood with study and care, with proper training, not just thrown about to be used by mad fools like you!”

“Mad fool? Calling the kettle black, aren’t we Malthael?” INarius retorted, slamming the book shut, “Given you gave in to yours and wasting your time in vain staring into a cup and didn’t care anything for your predecessor’s legacy. All you wanted to do was to prove everything he said wrong!”

“Magtherius was…he was not infallible.” Malthael snarled, “He was not right-“

“And neither were you!” Inarius’s grip tightened on the book, “You were never right either and I wish as a younger angel, I would have seen your wisdom for the bitter lies, fear, and hate they really were. The ramblings of an angel who had already lost his mind!”

Malthael’s wings were straining against the bindings as they tried to flare, wisps of energy rising off the chains, “And you aren’t right either, Inarius! You are as wrong as me and just as blind by your damanble pride as I was!” He snarled, “And I may have done shame to my master, but you do just as much shame to his legacy! You are nothing like him.”

“I am ten times greater htan he was!” Inarius roared back, his tone becoming strident, almost breaking, “I am-“

“Still that same scared fledgling trapped in Magtherius’s shadow, desperate for the power and attention of your brother and willing to sell out all of Heaven’s greatest secrets because some demon harlot played upon your insecurities and used you for her own desires,” Malthael sneered, “Your resonance is as steeped in sin as the rest of us.”

Inarius stiffened, wings flared wide as he took a step back from Malthael. There was hatred pouring off him, so pure, Imperius was wincing and feeling like he was in Mephisto’s presence all over again. There was an undertone though of madness, of an irrational dissonance as Inarius started to laugh. It was a shrill sound, grating and choked by what was almost a cry of rage.   
  
The former prisoner shook his head, grasping onto the book as he looked about, pulling away from Tyrael as the archangel of justice tried to approach, “I am not mad! I have suffered more than anyone in this room! The torments I endured are beyond your imaginations and you want to say I’m mad when you all want to shackle all of Heaven again!?”

“Inarius, please! Calm down!” Tyrael urged, trying to approach his brother again, “Just put the book down and let us-“  
  
“I am calm!” Inarius snarled as he held up the book in one hand, wildly looking about, “All of you are insisting on remaining blind!”

“Inarius! This needs to-“

Inarius only laughed again, the sound broken as he stepped away from everyone, looking between them, “Fine! If you refuse to see what I see, then I’ll just have force your eyes open!”

“Inarius! No!”

Imperius felt the rush of power only seconds before the spell erupted from Inarius’s hand, holy fire licking out and over the book of virtue in an instance. Shock rocked Imperius’s resonances combined with a sudden sharp horror over such a prominent relic being destroyed in a mere instance. He did not have time to say a word though as a howl echoed in the room.

Malthael’s wings were rasping loud, even as the bindings heated up and tore at his wings. Whatever pain he might have felt dwarfed in comparison to whatever anger was burning in his resonance. Before Imperius could even move to grab at the former archangel, Malthael had vaulted the table. Inarius’s resonance trembled with a sudden sharp fear for a brief moment before the reaper was upon him, slamming him down to the ground.

The entire room erupted in chaos.

Ignaceus was already throwing open the door, hollering for the guards while Imperius cursed, moving to get around the table. Tyrael had moved into action to try and grab onto Malthael, only to curse as the tip of one wing cut against his hood, causing him to stumble back into Imperius. The two tangled for a bit while Aladria backed away from the whole situation, eyes wide as she curled up in her chair.

Tevar had his phone out, eyes wide as he moved back from where Malthael was tearing into Inarius. There was already blood on the floor as INarius struggled, gagging now as the former archangel looped his the chain of his manacles about his neck and pulled tight. Metal was crunching under the force. The sharp wings of the reaper lashed forward as harsh shrieks and trilling, guttural cries resonated within his armor.

Imperius cursed, moving to push Tyrael off of him before moving forward to get a hand beneath the bindings and pull to relieve the tension against Inarius’s neck and prevent the former archangel from more or less tearing Inarius’s head from his shoulders. He called out in vain, trying to reach to some bit of reason still within the enraged reaper.

 “Malthael! Off of him! Now!”

There was no response from Malthael as he pressed his attack. Imperius grunted, feeling the chain digging against his fingers, forcing him to pull them away. Inarius wheezed, both hands back to the chain to try and pull it off. Imperius could feel Tyrael drawing his weapon, all but prepared to run Malthael through.

Imperius acted quickly stepping between Tyrael and the two struggling angels, raising his voice in a loud command.

“Rakanoth! Detain Malthael!”

The demon lord of despair was there in an instant behind Malthael quickly darting his head down to clamp teeth over one of the former archangel’s shoulders and pulling back sharply with a snarl. Malthael flailed, his bound wings lashing against the head of the demon. Rakanoth ignored every hit, even as they created minor lacerations against his skin as he continued to pull the former archangel up and back.

Imperius was quick to dart forward and slip the chain off of Inarius slip Inarius out of the binding and support him as he staggered. The archangel of valor turned quickly to hand off the wheezing angel to Tyrael, wings flared out, “Take your brother and handle him!” He hissed, before turning to Rakanoth, “Take him to the dungeon, now! Ignaceus! Have the luminarei there to receive!”

The lieutenant didn’t bother with a salute, already vanishing out to pass the order along as Rakanoth vanished as well, taking the enraged reaper with him. Inarius was flared up now, rubbing at his neck, half hunched against Tyrael and radiating pure hate.

“You see! I told you he was dangerous! He is still mad as ever!” Inarius raved, “He-“

“And you are no better! Burning the book of virtue! You should be thrown in prison with him for that sort of treason!” Imperius roared, feeling the corruption in his soul writhe, “Both of you are acting like you are out of your bloody minds!”

Itherael was shaking, quickly moving to the still smoldering shell of the book of virtue, throwing a hand out to cast a quick cantrip to douse the flame. Gingerly he picked it up, most of the cover falling away to ash. He stood there for a moment, staring at the book before turning towards Inarius’s wings flared, “Why!? It could have been studied! There might have been some secret to-“

“Did you think I didn’t try!? I’ve been trying since I got my hands on it weeks ago-“

“You bloody fool! A few weeks of study are not-“

“Silence!”

Imperius rarely screamed. He would yell to be heard, raise his voice in anger of course, or holler across a training field to recruits, but rarely did he let out a roar of pure command and anger. It was a sound that would make a barbarian’s war cry seem like a soft whisper. Not to mention it was combined with a burst of his resonance, causing all in the room to fall silent.

The archangel of valor was trembling as he took in a deep breath, looking about at everyone there, forcing himself to calm down and noting the irony of the fact he was to be the rational one when the corruption in his soul wanted nothing more than to rip them all apart and revel in the bloodshed.

“Tevar! Put the damn phone away.” His hissed.

The mortal quickly put the phone down, holding up both hands, “Phone away.”

Imperius eyed him for a moment before turning to Inarius, “I will debate on what is to be done about you for such an act. I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you were far from being in the right state of mind, but it is a crime nonetheless. It will be discussed with your brother. Until then, you can be a guest of the court of justice under the surveillance of a guard and I don’t want to hear one word or I’ll be tossing you into a cell as well, do I make myself clear?”

Inarius trembled but was quick to look away, wings pulling tight to his back, “Perfectly clear…”

The archangel of valor eyed him for a moment before looking to Itherael who was still clutching the destroyed book, “…can anything be done?”

“No. Not a thing.” Itherael said softly, “It’s…lost to us.”

Imperius could understand the loss in the scholar’s voice. Sada’vanus had meant so much to everyone. Even if it was blank, the ideals it inspired were just as important.

It had still meant something to Heaven even if in Inarius’s delusions, it was worthless.

Aladria quietly came up to Itherael, moving to wrap her arms about his waist in an effort to comfort them, “…we can take the remains to be stored somewhere if you want.” She suggested softly, “A proper send off.”

He nodded mutely, one arm moving to curl about her shoulders, “….that sounds good….” He murmured faintly before glancing up at Imperius, “…I…I’m going to take my leave now.”

“Go with blessings, Itherael,” Imperius murmured.

The scholar of Heaven mutely nodded as he turned, arm still about Aladria as the two left the room. Tevar looked about the room awkwardly, “So uh…do you and Tyrael want to be alone to discuss things or-”

“Escort Inarius to find Ignaceus and pass my orders on. To the letter Tevar,” Imperius interrupted tersely, “He is to remain in the courts of justice, under surveillance until what should be done about him is discussed.”

“Will do broperius.” Tevar said with a small salute before stepping over to Inarius. He looked the angel up and down before holding out his hand, “Uh…hold my hand. Let’s go find lieutenant judging you while laughing….”

Inarius looked at the mortal before letting out a snort and putting his hand in Tevar’s “Fine…”

Imperius waited for the two to leave before he moved to shut the door, turning about to face Tyrael, “I thought you were keeping an eye on your brother!”

“I am not my brother’s keeper and I cannot always be there at his side!” Tyrael retorted, “I have been trying to get him to speak with some of the angels of hope but he denies he is having any issues…adjusting to things here.”

“He’s out of his mind!”

“There is trauma he is suffering through and I’m doing the best I can in handling it!” Tyrael looked away, wings tensed, “I did not know he took Sada’vanus, Imperius. If I did, you know I would have had it returned as soon as possible.”

Imperius’s wings flared some as he crossed his arms, letting out a loud sigh, “I know that Tyrael but, the damage is done and something has to be done. A consequence must come of this.”

“We cannot lock him up. There would be a stir in Heaven about it, especially since Malthael attacked him,” Tyrael said quietly, “And he is sick. Some mercy should be regulated to his mental health.”

Imperius felt a small stir in his soul akin to resentment and he nearly pointed out that Malthael’s mental health was not even a factor in his own sentencing, but refrained. Too many words were exchanged today and Imperius did not have the strength to handle yet another argument.

“He is to be kept under constant guard then and I want it arranged that he speaks with one of the soothsayers of the host of hope regularly to work with whatever mental scars he is struggling with,” Imperius growled, “and I want you to keep a closer eye on what he is doing and saying,”

“I’ll make sure it is done.” Tyrael promised with a bow of his head, “I’ll try to keep him from spreading rumors about what happened today.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t condemning Malthael for his attack,” Imperius drawled, moving towards the door.

“…his reaction was not…correct but I understand where he was coming from. I do not approve of it though,” Tyrael murmured, “But what Inarius did was…foolish.”

Imperius merely snorted as he opened the door, wings flared, “And your brother stays in the courts of justice. He isn’t wandering around until the soothsayer believes him sound of mind once more.”

“Understood. I will see it done,” Tyrael said quietly.

The archangel of valor glanced back at him once more before vanishing away to the prison.

As he appeared, the luminarei there straightened up with a salute. Imperius gave a nod, glancing about. Rakanoth was there licking at the superficial wounds to his shoulder, barely paying mind to anyone. Ignaceus approached quickly, dropping a salute.   
  
“He’s been detained once more and extra bindings have been placed upon him. He’s calmed down, but has yet to say a word.”  Ignaceus reported.

“Understood lieutenant. I’ll try to speak with him.” He glanced to Ignaceus, giving a nod, “Return to the council room and have the chalice taken to one of the vaults to be locked away.”   
  
“It will be done.” Ignaceus turned away, gesturing to the other luminarei, “With me.”

Imperius waited for the group to vanish away before moving to Malthael’s cell. The former archangel was sitting rigidly in his chair, back to the cell bars and his wings tucked in close. He wore heavier manacles upon his wrists as well as ones on his ankles with a length of chain now fastened to the wall to reduce his movement significantly. For a long moment, the archangel of valor regarded him wishing he could share in whatever grief, whatever sadness and anger was tearing Malthael up inside.

But he couldn’t’ feel his brother. All there was between them was silence.

 “You are making your situation more difficult to defend Malthael.” Imperius murmured, “You didn’t need to attack Inarius like that to make a point of how upset you were.”

Malthael did not speak, his back still Imperius. The archangel of valor felt a flicker of irritation in his soul as he leaned against the bars, crossing his arms, “I want to help you. I want to understand you. You don’t have to open up about all the details of your past. You don’t even have to tell me about your struggles. I just….want you to talk to me now. About what you are feeling now. Just anything that I can help you with now.”

There was only silence in response to his words.

There would only be silence no matter what he said at this moment. Just as he had often done when younger, Malthael had withdrawn into himself. Still Imperius held onto some hope as he stood there, wanting to hear the other speak.

He could not feel Malthael, but he could listen to him.

He had always tried to listen to Malthael, even when the former archangel struggled to find the words to describe what it was burning inside him.

Imperius stood for a few moments more before turning away, wings slumped in silent defeat.

“A guard will be posted nearby. If you need anything, pass the request to them. I’ll leave orders for them to relay any requests to myself or Ignaceus if I cannot be reached right away,” Imperius murmured, “Just know that I want to help …”

It took more effort than he would have liked to teleport back to the hall of valor and find one of the luminarei to guard Malthael’s cell direction. The whole event weighed heavily upon his soul. After they had returned from the frozen wastes, he felt that Malthael had proven himself somewhat, or at the very least, had made clear his intent to try seek redemption. Imperius had even hoped the others had started to see there was qualities to save in Malthael.

Inarius though had gone too far in his own delusions and Malthael had reacted and now all of Heaven would no doubt be whispering about how the former reaper had tried to kill someone again. That he was dangerous and unpredictable, like a beast in a cage.

All of that tore at Imperius as he dragged himself into his personal quarters and slumped back into a chair. His tail was practically limp behind him, only the tip twitching some as he sank back, raising both hands to cover his face.

For every step forward, they were taking a dozen steps back. Each small victory he thought they had gained was taken away in a small incident blown out of proportion the next day.

And no one would blame Inarius as he had made himself the victim of Heaven already and probably had already gone about convincing others of the lie that was Sada’vanus. Imperius himself was finding it hard to wrap his head around that the book that Magtherius had used to do so many miracles had been blank all along and all the stories about what was inside really had been nothing but lies.

Hope and doubt fought against each other within in, but at the same time, he didn’t want to think about any of it.

He just felt…tired. So utterly tired of it all.

He lowered his hands from his face and turned to look out over Heaven, already feeling the ripple of dissonance that came as rumors already started to spread. It was a contrast to the peace of it all in the glimmering twilight.

Tomorrow there would be more to contend with as he tried to sort this whole affair. He would have the trial delayed a few more days.

All he could do now was hope  that there was some path, some light that would guide them forward as everything started to crack and fray at the edges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was completely re-arranged and re-written and I wanted to keep most of it light hearted to lead to that punch in the gut ending there 8D;
> 
> Chapter 23 is....going to be more feels, but hopefully some good feels? Whoooo knowwwws....


	23. Old Wounds

The days following the incident with Inarius and Malthael were as chaotic as Imperius predicted. All of Heaven seemed to have nothing else to discuss other than what happened and the rumors that had begun to fester had the archangel of valor wanting to strangle half of Heaven. According to Ignaceus, the online chatter was far worse and filled with conspiracy theories about Malthael’s madness, of how he was being mind controlled by Hell to attack others, and all sorts of nonsense that only the panicked could conceive. 

There were few discussions had about the burning of the holy book of virtue and even less concerning Malthael being the victim in the whole thing and that Inarius had been looking to provoke him. The general consensus though was that the former archangel of wisdom was feral and out of control and had no place in the general population. There were more calls for his execution, born out of fear that Inarius was no doubt spreading by embellishing the attack. If it wasn’t his execution, it was a life-sentence of confinement.

The gossip weighed down on Imperius and that burden of what to do about Malthael only seemed to grow heavier as it seemed every conversation he had returned to what were his thoughts on Malthael. It haunted every meeting, every report, and even the casual words he shared here and there with other angels to the point Imperius had drawn away from everyone to lock himself up in the war room to file paperwork just to try and avoid it.

Yet as the days passed and the date of the trail drew nearer, Imperius found it almost impossible to avoid hearing discussion about Malthael and his guilt. His thoughts began to always drift to what would happen at the trial and what may be the final verdict. It did not help either that Malthael had refused to speak to anyone since the incident, only adding to the stress of the situation.

All of Heaven was holding its breath now, waiting to see what would happen. The tension and dissonance could be felt in every resonance. To Imperius, it felt like the calm right before battle and it only served to put him further on edge, as if expecting everything collapse at the smallest whisper. 

Imperius looked up sharply from the report he had been staring up, wings flaring in alarm as he heard a great commotion take please just outside the window to the war room. The loud hollering of Tevar could be heard, coupled with shouts from Ira that were intermixed with bouts of later. Over all of that was the crash of pots and the squeals of some small, but clearly agitated creature. Imperius let out a sigh, forcing himself to relax with a shake of his head.

He was far too much on edge if Tevar and Ira chasing around their pet boggit was making him jump. At the very least, the boggit was keeping Tevar occupied. It was keeping the mortal man out of mischief and away from the growing rumbles of discontent rumbling in Heaven. Even more so, it was giving Ira something to focus on. The luminarei captain had been completely irate when she had returned and heard what happened and was supposedly quiet vocal online, according to Ignaceus. She had been involved in more than a few minor scraps. Just another stress that had Imperius threatening court-marshaling upon all the captains and lieutenants of the host of valor if this behavior of constant squabbling continued. 

 

That had at least stopped the physical fighting but the tensions and verbal fighting continued. 

He couldn’t blame Ira for her anger. She was just one of many angels on edge as the day of the trial had drawn closer. 

Imperius rose wearily to his feet and moved to the window, crossing his arms as he watched Tevar rush about chasing a muddy ball of of a boggit about the halls below, Ira not on his heels and shouting encouragement. The mortal was getting faster, pulling off a teleportation technique of his own to appear nearly on top the boggit to grab it, but the whelp was slipper and squirmed about, popping lose like the cork from a bottle before taking off with a screech. 

The sight of the chase earned a soft chuckle from Imperius before his attention was drawn towards the door as it creaked open. 

Ignaceus entered, giving a weary salute, “Morning sir. Reporting in as usual.”

“Morning….please tell me you aren’t bringing in more reports.” Imperius grumbled, “I haven’t even caught up with last weeks reports...”

Ignaceus chuckled, giving a shake of his head, holding up a rather thick file of parchment, “No, actually was coming to report that I’ve compiled the list of Hadriel’s known alias the best to my knowledge and ready to proceed on that front.” 

Imperius’s tail swished back and forth some as he cocked his head, “That took longer than I thought.” 

“I had a lot of records to sort through and then double-checking my own memory.” Ignaceus said with a shrug, “four thousand years worth of names is not the easiest thing to recall sir. Even for me.”

“I suppose not.” Imperius let out a soft sigh, glancing back towards the window, watching as Tevar tackled the boggit to the ground at last with a triumphant shout, “Have Itherael and Aladria been informed?”

“Not yet sir. That was my next stop.”

Imperius gave a nod, looking away from the antics of the two boggit chasers outside, giving a small flick of his wings, “Then I’ll accompany you to the library of fate. It is best we get this information to them as soon as possible.” 

“As you command sir.” 

 

Despite his misgivings about the trial and his desire to avoid most of Heaven, the archangel of valor had grown rather weary of the office and the never ending paperwork piled up on his desk like small mountains. A change of scenery was more than welcomed. With a brief thought, Imperius stepped away from his office, and appeared in front of the library of fate. The place was oddly quiet and serene. There was not the usual flow of busy scholars, although he could feel their resonances and the murmurs of nervousness that was flowing through them. 

Imperius waited a moment for Ignaceus to appear at his side, reports in hand before he started forward. Luckily he spotted Aladria rather quickly. The mortal scholar sat alone in the computer room, her laptop balancing on her knees as she was curled up in one of the large, plush chairs of the library. She glanced up as Imperius and Ignaceus entered, giving them a weary smile.

“Morning Imperius. What brings you to this corner of Heaven?” she asked, lowering the lid of her laptop slightly. 

“Ignaceus has finished compiling the list of known aliases that Hadriel went by over the centuries,” Imperius explained, moving to take a seat at the table, “We can finally start working on your plan to locate him.”

“There are a lot of names on the list,” Ignaceus murmured taking a seat beside Imperius, “I only hope you can find all of them. Some of these aliases might predate known records.”

“That is fine. If we can find the majority, we still have a large enough sample size to get a read on where he is most active” Aladria said, smiling, “In fact, Itherael has designed a program where we just need to type in the name and we can cross-check all records online to pinpoint his most recent aliases easily.”

The mortal dipped her head sheepishly though, glancing to the large computer terminal that Itherael usually occupied, “But ah...I don’t know where Itherael filed the program.” she admitted, “And they aren’t here at the moment, but they should arrive soon!”

“that is fine. We can wait a bit,” Imperius paused for a moment, tail flicking behind him, “In fact, there is something I want to ask you about. Or well….someone.”

The scholar cocked her head, looking intrigued, “That is an unusual request. Usually you are seeking out Itherael for information.”

“It concerns mortals, or rather, a historic mortal,” Imperius explained, “So I doubt he has any expertise in that.”

Aladria chuckled as she sat up more, balancing her laptop on her lap, “Luckily, that is my expertise. Who is it you want to know about?”

“Lady Woodbrun,” Imperius said, crossing his arms, “That was the name given to me. I wanted to know if you heard of that name or known any information about her.”

The archangel of valor expected the scholar to muse over the name a bit or say she wasn’t sure about it. He had not expected her eyes to light up in instant recognition, giving an emphatic nod, “Of course I do! What kind of historian would I be not to know about one of the most influential women and famous painters of the late Barician Period? I’m surprised you brought the name up!”

“Just….heard something about her is all and was curious,” Imperius murmured, “So...she is a painter?”

“Painter, writer, and poet. Struggled most of her life with a chronic condition that kept her from doing much beyond her manor home.” Aladria said, fingers flying over the keys of her laptop, “Despite that, she lived a full, happy life, married Lord Garther Averdine, and went on to have four children. Her works inspired much of the literature at the time and she was a popular source of inspiration for new rising political thoughts that would inspired the Reformation period of Sanctuary’s history.” 

“Did she have parents?” Imperius asked.

Aladria arched an eyebrow at the question, “She did, although they died in an accident when she was five years old. She was raised by her uncle, who in of himself, is a fascinating figure,” Aladria said as she turned her laptop towards Impeirus, “That’s a picture of her with some of her family. One of the more famous portraits given how well it was maintained.” 

The archangel of valor leaned in, tail flicking out behind him as he looked at the picture on the screen. It was a painted portrait of a woman that was similar to that of the ghost he saw, although far younger. A young man stood at he side and she already had two children, one but a mere babe in her lap. To her other side stood a tall man of a slightly darker completion than her own with dark, black hair and sharp, grey eyes. Imperius felt himself tense.

“This uncle...did he have a name?”

“Lord Eval Mattibriar. A man that historians only speculate about in terms of his early history. He sort of became the archetype of the mysterious, benevolent stranger you find in the Barician literature.” Aladria explained with a smile, “in fact, the hero archetype has been known as the Evalian hero, it became such a common trope. The man lived an exciting life by all accounts. A practical business man, a war hero, a poet in his own right, and supposedly had a great love of brewing spirits.” 

“...was there anything ever….recorded as being peculiar about him? Any strange deaths surrounding him?” Imperius asked quickly, glancing towards Aladria.

She blinked before shaking her head, “No. In fact, he was known to be of a charitable manner if I recall. Always helping those in need. They even said during the great war, those in his platoon seemed to defy death. Not a single one died.” Aladria said, leaning back thoughtfully, “In fact, the hospital Lady Woodbrun constructed in her twilight years in fact was dedicated to her late uncle to honor his contributions.”

“I...see..” Imperius murmured, looking away, his wings pulling tight to his back.

Aladria paused, again glancing at the archangel, “Do you want me to compile some information about Lady Woodbrun and her family?”

“No… that is not necessary. Was just a passing curiosity.” Imperius murmured.

It was not difficult to put two and two together. Malthael had said the woman was akin to a daughter and given her sole parental figure was this mysterious uncle, it wasn’t hard to place who Malthael had posed as for a time. 

What Imperius couldn’t understand was why. It was not in Malthael’s nature to want to care for children. He had not even raised his own fledglings, instead passing them onto others to care for. Imperius stared at the figure on the screen, the secretive smile that he wore. This revelation answered very little and only seemed to create a host of new questions regarding Malthael and what he had been up to all these centuries. 

Imperius was pulled from his musings when Itherael entered the room, the archangel of fate pausing as he regarded the new visitors and giving a polite bow of his head in greeting, “Odd to see you here with your lieutenant. Usually I either see one of you at a time,” Itherael said, chuckling lightly.

“For once, we have decided to occupy the same space,” Imperius said with a shrug, tone amused, “Ignaceus has the list of aliases Hadriel went by and I wanted to make sure you received them.” 

“Oh!” 

Itherael’s countenance brightened as they hurried to their larger computer, already sinking into the swivel chair, cup of tea in one hand. The other hand was already reaching out, fingers flying over the keys with effortless ease, “That is excellent news. I was starting to wonder if the request got passed along.” 

“Took longer than expected,” Ignaceus said with a shrug, “And I wasn’t sure how far back you wanted to go.”

“I was thinking of starting with the ones within the last five hundred years to start and tackle the older ones later as they will be more difficult to cross-check against mortal records,” Itherael said, leaning back in his chair, both hands curled about their cup of tea, “The faster we can get locations established, the better.”

“And more modern names will give us a better idea of his most recent movements,” Aladria added, “As we know that he was looking specifically for Mephisto’s lair.” 

Ignaceus nodded, already starting to riffle through the papers in the file he had brought, “So the past five hundred years….you just want me to rattle off the names out loud for you?”

“I think that is the best way to do this.” Itherael said, setting aside his mug of tea after a final long sip, “Let’s get started.”

Imperius had done his best to seem attentive about what was going on, listening to each name and glancing up to see the computer bring up some mortal face. Quickly though, he was finding it hard to concentrate on the list, instead, his gaze slipping towards the map. As each individual was identified and their locations mapped out through various records, a few trends seemed to be forming. 

Most of the aliases were male with only a few being female. Already, it seemed the majority of them where either living in Khanduras or Westmarch historically, moving to larger cities as time went on. There were long periods where there were no known aliases known, no doubt the angel going deeper into his cover, only for him to emerge as some new mortal face. The names and faces though were starting to blur together on the screen as Ignaceus continued to read off names. 

“You all look like you are having a fun old time.”

Imperius glanced up as Tevar entered the library, no longer covered in mud and with a pair of plates in hand, each baring a sandwich. Aladria only smiled with a shrug, rising to her feet to take up one of the plates from him, “Sometimes research is a bit tedious, but we are already making good progress.” 

“You might, but it seems to me Imperius is about ready to take a nap.” Tevar said with a grin, taking a seat. 

The archangel of valor let out a snort, glancing away back to the screen, “I’m keeping an eye on things. Just all the names feel like they are blending into one another...”

“True. Some modern names are more generic than others,” Tevar gave a shrug, taking a bite of his sandwich, “But maybe those ones make better aliases?”

“Maybe,” Aladria responded with a shrug, “Thanks for the sandwich though. Didn’t know if you were too busy to grab some when I texted you. What with you and your new...pet.”

“Eh, I got the wee little dork penned up again just as you texted. Was about to get lunch anyways,” Tevar took another bite, glancing to Imperius, “So what else have you been up to today? Anything trial related.”

“Can we not discuss that?” Imperius growled, shoulders tensing as he kept his gaze on the screen, “We have other things at hand currently.”

“Okay okay. I can see some things are a touchy subject...” Tevar murmured, “Just curious because it is going down tomorrow.”

Imperius only let out a grunt in response, propping his head up in one hand, wings flared as he stared at the screen. A tremor of irritation welled up in his resonance. Ignaceus paused for a moment, glancing to the commander before starting to read the names again, only a flick of his wings being the indication of his concerns. 

“This name I can confirm as being his most recent check-in, although it was briefly. He was reaching out to ask about any mortal contacts we had,” Ignaceus began, “Faldren Cain was the name he was going by at least twenty-nine years ago.”

“Cain...he used that name a few times it seems,” Itherael said as he put in the name. 

“Its a common enough surname...” Aladria murmured softly, although her grip about her cup of water tensed, “Lots of Cains these days.”

Itherael hummed, “Probably took off due in part to the Horadrim. I know a few of them took the name Cain as a last name to honor Deckard Cain.”

The computer chimed as hit a match with the name, pulling up a picture on the screen. In that same moment, Aladria let out a gasp, the cup she had been holding slipping from her grasp, crashing against the floor and shattering into pieces.

Tevar jumped, half rising to his feet as he looked at Aladria as she sat there, now pale and shaking, her eyes fixed on the screen. 

“Aladria? What’s up? You okay?” He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Aladria gave a shake of her head, mouth opening and closing as she rose unsteadily to her feet. She swallowed hard before starting to fall backwards. Tevar yelped, moving to try and catch her. Itherael was already there in the flash of an eye, quickly catching her, his wings flared in alarm, “Aladria!”

Aladria managed to take in a shaky breath, turning her head to look between Tevar and Itherael, her smile wobbly, although it did not reach her eyes which were shiny with slowly building tears, “I’m...I’m fine just...that man...he’s..” she swallowed thickly, forcing the next word out eve nas her voice broke, “He’s my father.”  
Imperius started, quickly looking up at the picture on the screen again. Faldren Cain did not look any different than any other mortal really. A rather normal, generic looking shape to the face, short cropped black hair with eyes that were a soft shade of blue. There was nothing alarming to his appearance. Even more so, he seemed to have little resemblance to Aladria.

“Are you certain?” Imperius asked, wings spreading, “This man is your father?”

“I would never forget his face,” Aladria managed out, her tone starting tremble, thick with emotions.”

 

“If that is the case, that will make it easy to find him then!” Tevar said with a wide grin, “We’ll just go to your parent’s house and-”

Aladria interrupted Tevar with a short, bitter laugh and small shake of her head. She slowly sat up more, looking to her companion, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks.

“...I don’t have a family.” she said, voice hollow, “When I was five years old...I….my mother….my mother died and my father...” she took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice, “my father left me on the stairs of an orphanage and never came back. I spent my life in foster care….” 

Aladria sat up more, hands clenched as she leaned forward, “My father left me behind...and….and now…” she gestured to the screen, the tears starting trickle down her cheek, “Now he’s…!” she let out a choked sob, rubbing at her face again, looking away from Tevar. 

Tevar blinked, “Oh..I’m...I didn’t know-”

“I never told you. You didn’t know!” She snapped, curling in on herself as she angrily wiped the tears from her eyes, “Didn’t know my fucking father walked out of my life, and now...now he’s coming back in, because he is some ...some angel deep agent.” she let out a broken laugh, “All this time….all this time I was involved in all of this bullshit!”

Itherael shifted closer, moving to put a hand on her shoulder, although he pulled it away some as she recoiled from the touch, “Maybe it is not the same-”

“It is the same person!” she snapped, rising to her feet, “I know my fucking father! I have pictures of him, of mom...of us...of us together as a family...before he...” her voice cracked as she looked away shaking her head as she trembled, “I thought he was dead too...but...but if he’s alive...then...”

“Hey now. I’m sure we will find him and then we can ask him all the questions yeah?” Tevar said softly, stepping forward to put a hand on her shoulder, “Just you wait once-”

“What if I don’t want to find him?” She choked out, “Why should I? The fuck made it clear I didn’t matter! That my childhood was a living hell, shuffled from family to family, never knowing why he left me! It was easier to think...to think they were just dead, not that he...not that he didn’t want me!” 

Itherael winced, “Aladria-”

“I’m sorry. I need...I need to be alone right now!” 

She pushed back Tevar and Itherael both as she raced out of the library. Broken sobs echoed briefly in the still air and Imperius felt his entire core recoil with concern. Itherael tensed moving to follow her, only to be stopped by Tevar grasping onto his arm to halt him.

“Give her some space. Mortals with this much shock need some alone time and ah, I don’t think heavenly company is….the best right now,” Tevar murmured, glancing to the screen, “Given the fact her father has been sort of exposed as one of your kind.” 

Ithereael looked between Tevar and where Aladria went before letting out a sigh, wings hanging low on his back and Imperius could feel a mix of emotions wash off of them “….I never even...I did not know her father was Hadriel.”

“It is not something that anyone knew,” Ignaceus pointed out, “But such things are not uncommon in the age after Heaven’s fall. Angels having offspring with mortals that is. In fact, that is probably why her nephelem abilities are rather potent.”

Tevar shook his head, “Yeah, that’s all good and all, being half angel and shit but ah...you do know what this means right?”

Imperius glanced to the mortal, feeling his soul start to sink, “What?”

Tevar glanced about the room, raising a hand to rub at the back of his head as he looked away, “Doesn’t this mean that, technically speaking, Malthael is her...grandfather?” he asked quietly.

The statement caused Imperius to jolt some and his entire resonance cringed inwards. Itherael stiffened, glancing away silently, his shoulders hunched forward.

“Technically.” Ignaceus murmured, speaking as everyone else seemed to have lost their voice, “By angel standards, we simply say she is of Malthael’s lineage...but the mortal term of grandfather...fits.”

“Seems the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree in terms of taking care of the fledglings they sow,” Itherael murmured, a hint of anger in his voice.

Imperius’s wings tensed some as he looked sharply at Itherael for a moment before glancing to Ignaceus and Tevar, “Lieutenant, we will finish this at a later date.”  
“Of course sir. I’ll return to the war room and see if any of our other connections may have found something of interest.” He said with a respectful bow of his head.

“And I’ll go talk with Aladria.” Tevar said with a sigh, “She is probably getting herself worked up and probably ah, no offense, not wanting to talk too much to angels right now...maybe some mortal comforts will help.”

“None taken,” Itherael said quietly, “Mortals...need their space sometimes about sensitive issues but, please, let her know...let her known I’m here for her no matter what.”

Tevar smiled, coming over to pat the archangel of fate lightly on the shoulder, “I’ll let her known her nerd soul mate is anxious to comfort her, don’t you worry.”

The mortal man turned to leave then, glancing to Imperius before looking away, shoving his hands into his pockets, “…here’s to hoping though she won’t wring me out any...” 

“Just watch your mouth.” Imperius drawled.

Tevar laughed, shrugging as he followed Ignaceus out, “I’ll do my best.”

Imperius merely nodded, waiting for the two to leave before he looked towards Itherael, “This information is….unexpected.”

“Unexpected and unwanted,” Ithrerael murmured as he crouched down to start cleaning up the broken glass on the floor with a sweep of his wings, “I am fine with any angel siring children but this….” they sighed, shaking their head, “I suppose the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree that spawned it, as the mortal say.”

The archangel of valor’s wings tensed, “You know why Malthael asked Tyrael to look after his fledglings.”

“Because he was already insane at that point and understood he couldn’t raise fledglings?” Itherael drawled, “To be perfectly honest, I never understood why he asked Tyrael to look after them other than he was expecting Tyrael to be as good with fledglings as Magtherius which turned out to be untrue. Tyrael is not his sire.”

“No. No he is not. And neither are any of us.” Imperius growled, “And I am not here to gossip about Malthael’s personal life.”

Itherael was silently, their head cocked towards the screen that still hed the data inputted as he rose to his feet, moving to dispose of the glass, “His business is ours until his trial is over and done with tomorrow...”

Imperius glanced up at the screen briefly, wings tensing and his tail flicking back and forth, “I’m hoping things will wrap up for the best and we can put all this dissonance behind us and focus on rebuilding Heaven, not on settling old grudges.”

The archangel of fate remained silent for a long moment before lifting his head, wings pulling in tight as he sunk back into his chair, “If you wish for that, Imperius, then hope for his execution.”

The statement caused Imperius to jolt, his wings flaring open as he turned to regard the archangel of fate, “Why? An execution will not solve anything!”

“I lived through the fall out of Malthael’s decision, Imperius” Itherael responded tersely, “The pain we all endured because of what he did, the scars he left...the dissonance will never be sated Imperius. No matter what you do or say, if he does not die, there will be no peace.”

Imperius crossed his arm, shoulders tense, “If Inarius wants to start something-”

“It is not just Inarius Impeirus! It is everyone! It is Heaven!” 

Itherael was on his feet now, wings flared in a rare show of anger, his resonance trembling with a mix of sorrow and stress and an underlying tremor of something almost akin to fear that was hard to place. The archangel of fate shook his head, wrapping his arms about himself, “He needs to be put to death Imperius. He shouldn’t even be alive now-”

“He can be redeemed! When the human souls we encountered met him-”

“It doesn’t matter what long dead human souls think about this Imperius! This is now, with the living, with mortals who haven’t been subjected to his madness! With our people now wanting his shadow gone! He has haunted us, Imperius. How much longer does he have to linger before we let him go to move on?” Itherael snapped, “You don’t understand what his choice did to us! You did not have to see it!”

the archangel of fate was trembling now. Imperius could feel his distress but he found himself not pitying the keeper of the archives. He could feel the fear driving Itherael’s words like a noxious poison in the air, only serving to rile his agitation more.

“If he is executed, he will still haunt us. Just as much as Inarius did when his unfair sentence was handed down,” Imperius responded coolly, “He deserves a second chance.”

“I think you don’t understand-”

“I understand enough, Itherael!” Imperius snarled, “I already aided in his death sentence once when I aided the nephelem in reaching him! I sentenced him to death as surely as if I struck the final blow against him! I understand what it means to live with the guilt of murder!”

 

Imperius’s hands curled into fists as he turned away from Itherael, shaking his head, “Never again do I want to be the one responsible for the death of another angel, just because there does not seem to be a way to help them.”

“Imperius-”

“His trial is tomorrow. I hope you will stand with the unity and compassion you have always held so dear and not give in to the pressures of the madness that is consuming Heaven,” Imperius growled, “Justice must be given with mercy.”

He did not linger to hear what Itherael would respond with, already teleporting away as he felt his temper simmer. 

Imperius found himself appearing in the halls of valor, stalking down the halls and wings flared out in agitation. His hand itched for his spear and a fight, anything to get the anger boiling in his soul out. The furious simmer in his soul was distracting enough that when he turned a corner sharply, he nearly tripped over the twin tails sprawled out across the floor. The archangel of valor stumbled, cursing, wings flared as he regained his footing, tensing as he heard a chuckle from the owner of the two tails. 

“My, my, are you upset. Usually you aren’t simmering this bad this early in the morning.”

Imperius glanced up abruptly, wings tense for a moment more before relaxing. He looked away with a huff, crossing his arms, “Rakanoth. It is not like you to be out in the morning... sunbathing.”

“The light is warm, even if it is bright and abysmal.” The demon said, stretching out some more on his belly, “Most demons do not have a like of the cold. Mostly it is fallen that have more icy aspects to them. Most demonic nobility prefers something...warmer.” he paused, lifting his head thoughtfully for a moment before lowering it, “Save Duriel I suppose...but he was always the weird twin.”

The archangel of valor could only shake his head in response, turning away to head away towards the war room once more, “I will take your word for it.” 

Rakanoth cocked his head before rising to his feet, stretching out one final time before loping after the archangel of valor, head tilting slightly, “Did the morning not go well?”

“Not as well as it could have gone.”

The mess concerning Hadriel, his whereabouts and now, his lineage aside, speaking with Itherael just confirmed more and more that Malthael’s chances were all the more slim. No doubt the archangel of fate would be selected to serve a role during the court proceedings within Heaven and that his vote would most likely favor a death sentence.  
The fear he felt coming off Itherael, the near panic that was being fed by the dissonance of Heaven sent waves of frustration thundering through Imperius’s core which in turn, riled up the burning hatred always lurking within the corruption in his soul. All of this the demon was feeling no doubt.

“I am starting to wonder if the Heaven I have believed in still exists or not.” Imperius murmured, “Only tomorrow will tell I suppose.”

“Ah, the trial is tomorrow yes?”

“It is.” Imperius glanced up at Rakanoth before his gaze fell upon the empty war room as he entered, moving over to the window on the far side of the room, “I’m not looking forward to it.”

Rakanoth let out a hum, sitting back on his haunches just inside the room, head tilted towards the piles of paper on the table Imperius had been using as a temporary desk of late, “Well, at least everything is prepared logistically for it?”

Imperius gave a small shrug, crossing his arms, “Tyrael is the archangel of justice. The courts are his dominion. He has been working with Ignacues to coordinate guards and the like, but ultimately, it is Tyrael who will determine the arrangements.”

Rakanoth cocked his head, “Is that how it usually is done? I would think the ruler of Heaven would dictate such things.” 

“It is our laws yes. A ruler cannot pass judgment without the voices of Heaven having their say. Thus one of the archangels serving on the Angiris counsel takes on the duties of sentencing, although it became more formalized when Tyrael ascended to the title of archangel of justice.”  
Imperius’s wings flared a bit, twitching about before he turned away from the window, “I should probably go see that everything is taken care of though and that he has everything he needs for tomorrow.”

Rakanoth tilted his head again, “You sure that is wise when your temper is so riled up? I’ve heard tell that you and Tyrael get along as well as a demon hunter and a succubus...”

“Things are tense between us yes, but we are...mending things.”

At least, Imperius hoped that was the case. He was not so certain of late given their difference of opinions in terms of what should be done about Malthael. A sigh escaped Imperius as he headed out of the war room, “And I have my duties to attend to, my ...temper aside.”

Rakanoth rose to his feet, moving to follow after the archangel of valor wit ha soft huff, “I don’t think this wise.”

“I don’t trust your judgment, demon. You get up to far too much mischief for me to trust you completely,” the archangel retorted.

The lord of despair chuckled, gently gnashing his teeth as he followed after Imperius, “Even after all I’ve done? You wound me!”

“You are still a demon, Rakanoth. I am not foolish enough to forget that. Your tendencies have not changed completely,” Imperius drawled, stalking past the demon.

Rakanoth only chuckled, falling into step behind him, “Only some of them, my lord.”

Imperius snorted and continued forward, hands clasped behind his back, “So you say, Rakanoth. So you say.”

The path to the courts of justice was an achingly familiar one. He had once walked this path nearly daily to meet with Tyrael and discuss the issues of Heaven before they would enter into the council chambers or just simply to speak with the more free-spirited angel. They had once been of the same mind on so many issues. They had once had a harmony that could be counted.  
Until Inarius’s crime. Until the Nephelem. Until it seemed his whole view of the world seemed to change. 

Even now, there was a distance between and Imperius wondered if it would ever be breached.

“My, seems they have been busy here.”

The archangel of valor glanced up when Rakanoth spoke. Before them were the courts of justice, no longer a derelict section of Heaven. Someone had taken great pains to clean it up and restore the lights to the pillars around them. The residual cracks and damages to some of the pillars remained, but since last Imperius passed through them, there were serious signs of improvement. 

Imperius reached his senses out briefly, quickly detecting where Tyrael was and was glad to feel Inarius was nearby which meant the archangel of justice was keeping to his word of keeping his brother within his realm. He was even more grateful that it seemed Inarius was not near the central court where Tyrael’s resonance was originating from. 

At the very least, he could talk to Tyrael without his brother’s snide comments.

It was easy enough to follow the archangel of justice’s resonance to the large central court where only the largest trials took place. At the height of Heaven, it had also been the area where the souls of angels could linger, albeit briefly, before passing to the arch to be reborn. The room was huge, extending upwards to a vaulted ceiling that bore the stories of some of the largest trials in the history of Heaven. Between the pillars around them, hundreds of seats were laid out, making the whole court seem like some sort of grand arena for all to witness the spar of words.  
The floor of court held little décor though. There was slight raised dais at the center of the room where the accused would stand and at the far side of the room, a series of four chairs were arranged that would seat the ruler of Heaven, the master of ceremony, the sentinel, and the inquisitor respectively. All of it was polished to a shine, the dust banished and the ancient gold allowed once more to shine through. 

Imperius looked upon the room, beautiful and shining, and could not put aside the cold feeling of concern that sat heavily upon his resonance, knowing that tomorrow, this room would be filled with all of Heaven and Malthael would stand before them all.

And all he could do was watch it all land keep order within the court for he would not be permitted vote. The ruler of Heaven, the sitting king, was not permitted to pass judgment. Upon the throne within the court, he would only be permitted to witness the trial declare the verdict decided by the rest of the council. It was a position more of ceremony than any real power.

It would be the three seats below, the master of ceremony who led the court proceedings, the sentinel, who bore witness to the trial, and the inquisitor who would question Malthael to cast their vote for his sentence. Three votes to cast to determine if the former archangel lived or died.

“Imperius! I did not expect to see you today.”

The archangel of valor was pulled from his grim musings by the familiar, robust voice of the archangel of justice. He turned towards Tyrael, his tail sweeping out behind him as he crossed his arms, “Oh? Did you not think I wouldn’t check on how it goes with preparing the court for tomorrow?”

“I had heard you were handling an affair concerning tracking down Hadriel.” Tyrael said as he came to alight before Imperius.

“It was cut short due to...personal reasons on Aladria’s part,” Imperius replied, glancing away, “And given how large a trial this is, I wanted to make sure all the proceedings were in place and all roles were assigned.”

Tyrael gave a nod of his head, “As the master of ceremony, I’ve handled the assignment of the seat based on who sits upon the council, although, as it is, there are only three angels that sit on the council.”

Imperius nodded, although his wings pulled tight to his back, silent for a moment before glancing towards Tyrael, “Is Itherael serving as the inquisitor?”

Tyrael gave a shake of his head, “They declined. They will serve as the Sentinel which means-”

“Inarius is our inquisitor,” Imperius let out a growl, “Just wonderful.”  
“I assure you, the recent therapy has helped and he has made promises not to do anything extreme during the trial,” Tyrael said quickly.

“That is not what I’m worried about.” 

Inarius, even if he was mad, was born with a gift for crafting words and being able to move a crowd. He was charismatic, for all his faults, and if he was the one leading the questions, he was no doubt going to set up a minefield that Malthael would have to navigate.

The former archangel of wisdom’s chance for acquittal or at the most, a life sentence, were greatly reduced with Inarius taking such a key role.

“Is there anyone else that can serve?” Imperius asked, one hand rising to rub at the corruption on his chest. 

“The nephelem cannot serve, I highly doubt either of them would be able to handle questioning Malthael, let alone knowing enough of the procedures to not make mistakes that would be cause for a mistrial,” Tyrael murmured, “And Rakanoth...”

The archangel of justice trailed off, wings tensing as he looked to where the demon had settled himself back on his haunches, “A demon serving during trial is uncalled for and would cause more trouble. Inarius is all that is left to serve then.”

“He is going to turn this trial into a madhouse.” Imperius growled.

“He knows what needs to be done.” Tyrael replied stiffly, “The trial will followed the rules exactly as our laws dictate-”

“And Malthael will be sent for execution, making this whole situation worse!”

“And what about Malthael’s execution would make anything worse?”

Imperius tensed, looking over to Tyrael. The archangel of justice was not looking at him, hands clenched at his side as he looked away, wings pulled tight and anger burning within his resonance.

“Tyrael-”

“You can forgive him for you were not there. You did not see what he did.” Tyrael said quietly, “It wasn’t just soldiers or guards. It wasn’t just men and women. He slaughtered children too. The streets were so thick with bodies in places you could walk upon them! Piles of the dead, rivers of blood in the streets, entire lives destroyed and that was just one city hit by their onslaught!”

“Tyrael I know-”

“You know nothing if you think what he did deserves forgiveness!”

“I would have done the same thing upon Sanctuary thousands of years ago!” Imperius roared, “We voted if we would! You too thought them something to be removed at first!”

“But neither of us acted on it,” Tyrael argued, “He did!”

Imperius shook his head, wings flared, “And the mortals took their vengeance already, countless times against us for his crimes! Heaven was all but nearly destroyed, Auriel lays tormented in the hands of the enemy, and all the world has forgotten about us!” He snarled, “It is time to let go of these grudges!”

“He is a criminal!” Tyrael retorted, “He will get the punishment he deserves!”

“...if we are in the business of punishing criminals and those that have wronged Heaven, does that mean I will have a trial too?”

Imperius started, turning to regard Rakanoth where he sat. He had all but forgotten the demon was in the room at all and Tyrael too tensed, wings flaring out in agitation as he glanced over at the shark-like demon. The lord of despair had stretched out some, rising to his feet with his head tilted to the side as he regarded the two angels. 

“I have probably killed more than Malthael in terms of angels and yet no one has called for me to be put on trial or executed.” Rakanoth drawled, “It seems your idea of justice is very fixated on certain individuals and certain actions.”

“Believe me, demon, I would like nothing more than to have you put out of Heaven and left to be torn apart by your own kind. I have not yet forgotten all you have done, especially what you did to my lieutenant!” Tyrael growled.

“Ah, and there we have it. Another petty grudge born of misunderstandings,” Rakanoth drawled, “Dear Izual, oh how little you knew about him.”

Tyrael let out a growl of anger as his hand moved to draw Eldruin. Imperius moved quickly to step in between the two, his own wings flared and Solarion quickly summoned to his hand in case he needed to use force to separate the two. 

“Rakanoth is proving his worth to Heaven, Tyrael. We would not even have been able to save our kin if he had not kept the doors open,” Imperius growled, “Demon or not, he is an ally in our fight against Mephisto.” 

“I still can’t believe you are allowing a demon any chance of redemption, especially one that was part of the attack on Heaven,” Tyrael crossed his arms, “It is not like you at all to show such mercy or kindness.”

“If I were myself, thousands of years ago, I might have agreed with you,” Imperius raised a hand to touch the corruption, now so apparent across his chest and now starting to edge down along his stomach, “And...certain perspective are realized when your own end is close at hand.”

Tyrael stiffened, wings pulling tight against his back as he looked away, “He has not wronged you, not directly. Not like he has me with his torment of Izual.”

“Do not speak his name lightly, Tyrael. Izual meant far more to me than you would know.”  
Both angels looked at the demon when he spoke, and Imperius felt an aura of threat coming off of the lord of despair. Rakanoth, for being a demon, rarely showed true bouts of anger that were known to his kind. The demon almost felt defensive now and it seemed the topic of Izual was sore not just for Tyrael. 

It only served to put Imperius further on edge as he gripped his spear tighter, looking warily between the two.

“I do not say his name lightly, Rakanoth,” Tyrael snapped, “He was my most trusted lieutenant, corrupted by Hell, by you!”

“I did not corrupt him.” Rakanoth growled, “I was his jail keeper. I took pleasure in his despair at first, but it was the three who tormented him so. If anything, when your precious heroes invaded the plains of despair, I let him lose to allow you the chance to kill him and take him back!”

Tyrael’s wings went rigid for a moment before flaring up, both hands clenched, “Then why did he not return to Heaven? Why did he reincarnate as a demon!?” Tyrael hissed, “You dragged him back to Hell to ensure his damnation!”

“Did you not ask him that yourself!?” Rakanoth roared back, slamming both swords into the ground, “He wanted to stay in Hell!”

Tyrael’s wings spread wide, glowing brighter in response to his anger, “That is a lie! He would never want to stay in Hell!”

Imperius was tense, weapon in hand as he looked between the two, half-expecting one of them to attack. Rakanoth was burning with a confusion array of emotions, but the strongest of all was a poignant grief, a wave of despair that was not one created by the demon lord, but one that ate away at his core, forcing his nature. 

It was true sadness, not some trick and that, above all else made Imperius more unsettled. It made the demon seem too….familiar. 

 

“I do not lie about this!” Rakanoth snapped, “He stayed because he wanted to! He returned and came back to me! Say what you will about my part in his fall, but...he was the only demon in Hell I trusted! The only one that had any sense!”

The demon lord slammed his blades into the floor again, leaning forward as he bared his teeth at the archangel of justice, “He is the reason I am here! Do you know what Mephisto did to him!?”

Tyrael took a step back, wings tensed, his resonance alarmed but filled with a mess of confusion and anger, as if he was not sure what to even say in response to the demon. Rakanoth only sneered, letting out a low growl, his entire form trembling. Yet the anger seemed to be draining from him, as despair began to overtake him.

The demon lowered his head, a growl still in his voice, although it cracked slightly, even as he attempted to hold his tone steady.

“He refused to serve the lord of hatred. He did not agree with his plan. Say what you will about Izual, but he did not follow the great evils of Hell blindly and he held only contempt for Mephisto’s more underhanded ways,” Rakanoth murmured, “So the lord of hatred had him killed, his soul ripped apart to ensure he could not be reborn ever again, be it the arch or the abyss. He’s gone. Forever.” 

The demon lowered his head, body shaking and the growl in his throat growing louder to hide the tone of pure despair that filled his words now. Rakanoth sunk lower against his blades, taking in a low, hissing breath,“And I served Mephisto out of fear of being granted the same fate after being reborn from the abyss.” he admitted, “I am a coward...but Izual….Izual was brave and not afraid to be what he wanted. A demon of rare strength.” The lord of despair glanced away, “I miss him dearly…I wish I had been powerful enough to prevent his fate.”

The lord of despair straightened up, tucking his blades in close as he looked between the two angels, “I am here to fight Hell, because I do not want to be a coward anymore, a whipped dog to one master or another. Alongside lord Imperius, I have tasted dignity, respect, and knowing he will not ask of me anything I would not agree with. I can avenge Izual properly when I tear into Mephisto and his spawn,” Rakanoth growled, “I will not die, not by your hand or the hands of Hell. Not now. Put me on trial for my crimes, I’ll confess to them all gladly, but make it my sentence to serve Imperius until my life is taken and my black soul destroyed. Although I hope to remain alive now.”

Rakanoth lowered his head again, “What I...hate most of all is that Heaven has given me so much to lose that I cannot bare to see Mephisto gain any step forward. Tevar, Aladria, Imperius...I find myself not wanting them to ever fall. Such strange urges against my very nature that I cannot seem to explain.”

The demon let out a hiss, tucking his blades in closer, as if trying to look smaller, “I want to help restore Heaven. It brings them happiness and that….that makes me happy.”

Imperius was rather taken aback by Rakanoth’s proclamation, finding himself at a loss for words. Tyrael too did not speak up, wings tucked close to his back as he looked away. No one spoke.

Without thinking, Imperius found himself moving forward, lifting a hand tentatively for a moment before resting it on Rakanoth’s forearm, giving a small squeeze to it, “And your aid is appreciated. I’ve been grateful for your loyalty, Rakanoth.”

“I’m staying by your side, my lord.” Rakanoth murmured, “...but I think I would like some time alone, if I’m permitted out of sight of most eyes. I do not feel...right. Unsettled perhaps.”

Imperius paused before nodding, “You may retire to my private quarters if you wish for privacy and no where else. I will not mind the intrusion.”

The demon cocked his head before giving a nod, “Such a bold invitation, but if that is what you offer, then I accept it, my lord.” 

The lord of despair gave one last dismissive snort towards Tyrael before vanishing in a flash of light, leaving the two archangel alone. 

Imperius’s grip tightened on his spear before it relaxed as he dismissed the weapon with a thought, “He is redeeming himself.” the archangel of valor said quietly, “Good and evil are not as black and white as I believed in the past and it is that reason he stands here with no trial. His time here causes him great uncertainty and pain and perhaps in that, there is punishment enough.”

“…I did not know you were on such good terms that he could be allowed to your private quarters,”Tyrael said softly, wings tensing.

The archangel of valor eyed Tyrael, his own wings pulling in close defensively and his tail gave a small lash against the ground, “Not that it is any of your concern, but we get along well enough. There is little trouble he can get up to in my quarters and it allows him the privacy he desires.” 

“It is not like you Imperius...” Tyrael said softly, “You have changed so much.”

“Perhaps, but change is necessary to survive.” Imperius turned away from Tyrael, wings drawing close to his back, “I have other things to take care of….but I hope that tomorrow, that you will take into consideration that there is hope for Malthael still. He can be redeemed.”

Tyrael did not answer at first, turning away from Imperius, wings still tight against his back, “...It will be the will of Heaven that decides this. Not I.” he said at last before starting to walk off.

Imperius glanced over his shoulder briefly before giving a strong flap of his wings and teleporting away into the air. Anger was brewing in him, but it was tempered by fatigue about the whole situation.

It was a constant back and forth between everyone, about what was worth redemption and what needed to be expunged. Not to mention Imperius felt as if there were so many secrets being left unsaid, so many pieces to the puzzle that he could not seem to put together in time to make this whole situation better. 

All of it was weighing more heavily upon his shoulders, even as he did all he could to keep Heaven from caving in on itself. Today had only been a lesson in how broken everything was, especially with so many people getting upset with unwanted revelations and sudden bouts of sadness. 

He was growing so tired of trying to hold Heaven together alone. 

The archangel of valor all but dragged his feet as he entered back into the war room, starting to resent the place for how often he seemed to be in it and how every path he took inevitably led back to this nexus of problems and paperwork.

Ignaceus was back in his usual spot, diligently working as always. Yet Imperius could tell that his usual unflappable lieutenant was feeling the tension growing around them. His wings were pulled tight to his back and he was writing a bit more furious than normal. No doubt the approaching trial was starting to affect his mood as well or he had heard only more bad news.

“Anything of note happen?” Imperius asked, looking at the pile of reports, but making no move to pick them up.

“Nothing save for a single new request.” Ignaceus responded, not looking up from his work, “The prison guards have passed word along that Malthael wishes to speak with you.”

Imperius tensed, wings flaring a bit and his tail curled in about his legs. After everything else today, the last thing he wanted was to deal with Malthael. However, the former archangel had not spoken or reacted to anyone until now and to brush this off, especially with the trial tomorrow would be an unwise move.

“Did he say what he wanted?” Impeius asked.

“No. He only said he had a request of you and refused to speak anymore on it to anyone.” Ignaceus responded. “He has remained aloof and adamant that he can only speak with you.” 

Imperius nodded, tail flicking back and forth slowly as he let out a sigh, “I’ll go see what he wants then.”

“Be careful. The trial is tomorrow. He may be desperate,” Ignaceus murmured, “He has put the guards on edge with his silence and the fact he is reacting to nothing, not even someone screaming at him-”

“Your concern is noted,” Imperius interrupted, “But I do not think there is a cause for concern. He is not stupid enough to think he has a chance of escape.” 

“As you say sir.” Ignaceus responded, although the slight lift to his tone suggested he doubted what was being said, but as ever, was not about to question Imperius.

The archangel eyed him silently for a moment before he turned away from the paperwork and briskly began to make his way towards the prison.

Wearily he realized that he had been wandering from one end of Heaven to the other all day without rest or any sort of means to relieve the stress boiling up within his resonance. He was already feeling on edge and antsy, but had not the time to spar. At this point, he was just waiting for something to set him and cause him to start to finally crack.

At least after the trial tomorrow, he could maybe, finally, relax. 

It did not take long to arrive at the prison and the place was as dismal as ever. The only real difference was that Imperius noted briefly the tension of the two guards outside as he entered and made his way down to Malthael’s cell. There was nerves about them, odd given that just days before they had been at ease guarding the former archangel’s cell. 

Either the impending trial tomorrow was putting them on edge or something about the prisoner within had started to spook them. 

Imperius didn’t pause to ask, merely striding by both guards, head held high and hands clasped behind his back. As he descended, right away Imperius noted a sudden chill in the air that did not seem normal for Heaven. Idly, Imperius found himself thinking about Rakanoth’s words earlier about how fallen angels seemed to have a predisposition for the cold but quickly brushed the thought aside as he approached Malthael’s cell.

 

The former archangel was sitting at the table as usual, however, he was not reading nor writing. The reaper sat silently, staring at the wall and not moving a muscle as if he had been turned to stone. Imperius crossed his arms, hunching his shoulders forward as he moved to lean against the wall across from the cell, eyeing the prisoner within. 

“I was told you wished to speak to me about a favor,” Imperius began slowly, “Do know that I can provide some things, but some requests will be denied.”

Malthael was silent, head barely turning in Imperius’s direction. The archangel of valor felt a simmer of irritation rise up as he leaned forward slightly, “Well? Out with it. My patience is frayed already today.”

A low chuckle escaped Malthael as he rose slowly to his feet, “Very well. My request is simple really.”

The former archangel of wisdom moved to the bars of his cell, the chains about his wrists and ankles clinking as he did so, coming to stand before Imperius and give a small bow of his head, “I wish to go to Magtherius’s tower. To his observatory. Only for a short time, I promise.”

Imperius’s wings flared some as he eyed Malthael, “I do not think it will go over well if I let you free of your cell to wander as you please.” 

“I do not ask to go there alone.” Malthael responded, “If you wish to come with, that is fine. But I ask that is is only you,” he paused for a moment, looking away, “In fact, if possible, I’d rather...few know we go if at all. This is a rather...personal visit.” 

Imperius tried to read the body language of the other angel, but whatever fractures had emerged before from Inarius’s actions had been hidden again. Malthael was calm and collected as ever, although his tone was soft, lacking the usual bite of sarcasm that seemed to tinge his every word.

“Personal visit?” Imperius repeated, “Care to elaborate?”

“I just want to return there, one last time. It has been a long time since I entered the place where I grew up and learned so much about the world,” Malthael said, still refusing to make eye contact, “I’ve done some….self-reflection you could say. I just want to be there one last time and try to...make peace with everything before the end. I suppose you could call it a confession of sorts, a cleansing of ones soul.”

The archangel of valor fell silent before he looked away. The way the former archangel spoke, he made it seem as if he had already been given a death sentence and there was little hope tomorrow. It cut to Imperius’s core and the archangel of valor found himself letting out a loud sigh as he straightened up and moved across to the former archangel’s cell.

“ It is not the end, Malthael. There can be a miracle yet,” Imperius murmured as he opened the cell door,” I will grant this request though, just this once.” 

He glanced over his shoulder and down the hall. No guards were there now. Given how short staff they were for the trial preparations, the guard in the lower cell had been pulled. It was only another small reminder of just how few angels truly were left.

Still, it played in Imperius’s favor for now. He could easily teleport himself and Malthael to the tower and everyone would be none the wiser to the fact h had allowed the former archangel out briefly.

“You will not leave my sights and if you lift even a wing to try and escape, I will slam you into your cell myself,” Imperius said tersely, “Do you understand?”

“I do and I assure you, I have no desire to escape,” Malthael responded as he stepped out of his cell, pausing only for Imperius to unlock the bindings from the chains that kept him bound to the wall of his cell, “This is something I have to do. Something I should have done a long time ago.”

 

Imperius remained tensed as he regarded Malthael, but did not ask him to speak more plainly. Malthael was keeping his secrets and it was clear he was not yet going to reveal anything of what was going on in his head. The archangel of valor merely sighed as he roughly grabbed Malthael by the arm and focused them both away, vanishing in a flash.

The tower of virtue still remained untouched by the rest of Heaven. The reverence it had held in the past remained in part. Save for Inarius, no one had bother to enter the structure and porose the shelves of dusty old tomes of out-dated astrology and reference books and given no one knew how to activate the observatory, there really was little reason to enter. 

Yet as they arrived, Malthael was quick to step forward and push open the doors to enter. Imperius followed him, making sure to slide the doors closed behind them so as not to leave any obvious signs that someone had entered. 

As soon as he was inside the tower, Malthael’s brisk pace slowed. He was turning his head slightly, looking here and there before he came to a halt before the grand statue of his mentor that sat before them in all its polished glory. The serene posture of Magtherius seemed to stare down upon him with that same calm he had exhibited in life. If stone could talk, no doubt there would have been words of comfort or small praises given. 

The statue remained silent and the former student to the once might archangel of virtue stared back up silently, wings pulled tight to his back.

“He always seemed larger than life. Always so pure, so flawless when he is presented in carvings and art.”

Imperius started when Malthael spoke, glancing over to the former archangel before looking back up at the statue, crossing his arms, “He was always remembered fondly. He touched a lot of lives.” 

“I suppose...” Malthael fell silent before he looked away towards the stairs that led up to the observatory, his manacles gently clinking in the silence of the hall, “I do not know what to feel about him to be perfectly honest. I am fond of him. I do not think any fledgling could ask for a better mentor to guide them, however,” he paused for a moment, hands clenching, “I cannot also help but hate him as well.”

Imperius’s wings flared some in surprise, “Hate him?”

“Yes.” Malthael responded softly, “For a very long time. I wanted to undo and destroy everything he created to spite him. I did not want Heaven to be as he wanted. I did not see the world as he did. Not back then.”

The former archangel laugh humorlessly, “I was such a blind fool.”

Imperius looked up at the statue , wings pulling tight to his back, “...did you hate him for dying?”

“I did, but that is only natural and...his death was hard to take, but that was easier to accept than….everything else that came to light. All the lies...” Malthael’s shoulders tensed as his hands curled into tighter fists, “I hate him because he never told me what I was and built me a fragile world of comfort to be broken at his death. For all the confusion and fear I’ve lived with, all the hatred in my soul and all the viciousness and spite that I let seethe inside me.”

The former archangel remained tense and silent for but a moment before he let out a soft side and let his hands unclench once more, “I still have fond memories though of him, as I said before. And now, I can see there was nothing malicious in what he was doing. He probably thought it was all for the best. At the core of it all, he wanted me to be happy. Every parent just wants their child to be happy and to grow up to their full potential.”

Malthael raised a hand to touch the base of the statue, “But he also...just wanted to see his greatest experiment flourish I suppose and prove all his visions and theories right.”

Imperius stared at Malthael before shaking his head, “I don’t understand what you are trying to say nor why you are telling me this.” 

“I don’t think I’m ready myself to try and explain it all.” Malthael admitted, “I’ve spent most of my life in denial about everything. I suppose it has always just been… easier to speak to you Imperius. I mean no insult, but you are simple. Direct and uncomplicated by things. You’ve always known yourself.”

Imperius let out a short, bitter laugh, “I must be a fantastic actor for you to say that.”

“Perhaps.” Malthael chuckled softly before turning from the statue and heading towards the stairwell, “But you still always find your core better than most. Far better than I. You have never denied what you are.” 

“And neither have you Malthael.”

The former archangel looked over his shoulder at Imperius, letting out another chuckle before turning and moving to ascend the stairwell up towards the observatory, “Then I really did fool everyone into thinking I was something I never was.” 

Imperius watched him silently, feeling a strange unease about the topic of conversation, but regardless, moved to follow Malthael up the stairs.

Neither of them spoke as they ascended the spiraling staircase to the top. Imperius truly did not know what to say. He had known Malthael almost all his life and still the other angel was so enigmatic. He was dark and strange already, being an angel of wisdom, but he had changed so much over the years.   
He recalled how withdrawn he had grown after Magtherius’s death, although with Auriel there, he had started to recover. Then he had left for a brief time to some location unknown and when he had returned, he was colder, more distant than ever, and his actions had become more aggressive. Even Auriel hadn’t been able to reach him and in time, she had simply given up. The two had drifted far apart, only speaking during council sessions. So unlike their youth where the two were inseparable and it had been so painfully obvious the two had shared a spark of something akin to puppy love. Something had caused Malthael to pull away and into the comfort of the chalice he made to focus his thoughts, becoming someone capable of incredible harm should he deem it a wise move. 

Even looking at him now, he had physically changed so much. His armor still bore the sharp look of a reaper, adorned with the skulls and markings of the archangel of death. Those had not faded away in his rebirth as it should have. It only served to make his appearance less angelic and a touch more demonic in a way. Taking in his appearance, he was reminded of Malthael’s words after he had defeated the harpy and consumed its soul. He had said it was always his nature and that Heaven had been blind to it. That what he had done was something that was part of him, not something gained in madness.

That, combined with his cryptic words below, only served to make Imperius feel more unease rise in his soul, starting to wonder if his brother was not exactly what he claimed to be.

The former archangel of wisdom paused for a moment, glancing to Imperius as they drew to the entrance to the observatory, wings flicking a bit in his bindings, “...is something the matter?”

“Just...lost in thought.” Imperius murmured, “Just noting how much you changed over the years.”

Malthael inclined his head before looking ahead again, “We all changed. We all grew up, Imperius. We all walked different paths.”

“Not all of us changed as drastically as you. Physically and mentally.”

The former archangel looked down over himself, tensing slightly before relaxing, and moving to step forward and into the observatory of Magtherius, “An angel’s physical form is a representation of their core.” he said softly, “And I will not lie, not anymore.” 

He paused, hand on the door as he looked again down over himself, “This form reflects what and who I am better than any in the past. I feel more comfortable in how I look now more than ever. It is almost liberating in a way to look like this. Like I’ve finally shed away a mask I’ve worn all my life.” 

Imperius tensed, “It is a comfort to look like a reaper?”

Malthael looked over at him briefly before looking away and opening the door to the observatory, silently looking about the room “...it is far more complicated than that.” 

Confusion rose in Imperius’s chest, not sure what the former archangel meant by that, thus he held his tongue and swallowed back the thousands of questions that wanted to escape and demand answers of the other angel. Instead he watched Malthael silently enter the room and make his way to the strange, ancient device that sat at the center of the room. From time to time, Malthael paused to run a claw-like finger over one of the outlying rings of the device, pausing to trail over orbs and crystals embedded along the rings at odd angles. He moved through it with a quiet reverence, taking in the place before moving to where the book of virtue once sat on display. He silently looked over the empty shrine, and oddly, there was no tension, no sudden flares of anger like Imperius would expect. 

If anything, there was a subtle droop to Malthael’s shoulders that could have been taken as a sign of relief. Imperius felt his own wings pull in tighter, shoulders hunching as he watched Malthael, trying to gauge what his motive to be her at all was.

“Do you remember when this device used to be active?”

The question snapped Imperius from his musings, cocking his head to the side, “...yes. Vaguely. I remember finding it quiet beautiful. The stars were always so clear and Magtherius was always good at weaving stories in the stars.”

 

“It used to be the highlight of any fledglings youth to look up at the stars here,” Malthael said, letting one of his hands slide along the central pillar of the observatory device, “It was all any young angel could talk about after getting their first glimpse. Itherael and Auriel used to go on for hours about it.”

“That they did.” Imperius said quietly, “It is a shame after his death, no came up here to use it anymore. At your order, it remained untouched. No one knew how to use it.”

Malthael was silent for a moment before looking over, “There is still one who knows how,” he said softly, “Maybe we should finally bring this place back to life once more.” 

The former archangel began to walk along the side of the pillar to a small panel that extended from the base that was covered in ancient runes. He paused for a moment, studying them before reaching out to start touching upon the runes as if he were playing some musical instrument. Each rune glowed briefly when brushed over, letting out a soft hum that swelled into the next note of whatever song Malthael was creating as both of his hands danced over the runes. The humming melody was almost drowned out by the sudden groan of ancient gears and cogs starting to move after so many millennium of disuse as the observatory slowly began to come alive once more. 

Imperius had to take a step back as one of the outer rings started to move, slowly rising up as the various components began to move, haltingly at first, but then began to smooth out and pick up speed. Time and time again, Imperius expected the moving parts to collide into each other they danced and weaved, barely missing each other. Whoever had designed the great machine had done so with an incredible amount of precision. The whole spinning device was rising now from the ground as the walls around shifted upwards as the observatory began to rise. 

The once clear crystal dome began to darken, energy crackling up through it and spiraling out in dizzying patterns. The whole device was a blurr now, a loud whine filling the air as the device dipped and danced. Soon though all of the movement began to slow the energy starting to take the shape of stars and swirls of color of cosmic dust of parts of reality long left unknown. 

Malthael looked up, carefully brushing his long fingers over a few more runes before stepping away completely, joining Imperius as the archangel of valor slowly drew closer, gaze set above at the display above.

The breath-taking visage of the night sky, of all the Heavens that still extended further above them all, brought with it a swell of emotion. There was the pang of nostalgia coupled with that fledgling-like wonder that he had so long forgotten. There was sadness and happiness mixed together as well as an underlying hum of confusion.

“...I thought you said you did not know how to activate the observatory?” Imperius asked quietly.

“I never said I couldn’t. I said it shouldn’t be activated,” Malthael responded, “I didn’t want it to be used. It reminded me too much of Magtherius.”

The former archangel’s gaze was fixed on the hundreds of constellations that stretched out above them, slowly moving in time with the rings and moving parts of the central device. The whole of it shimmered gracefully, the lights of the stars only made more brilliant by the dark that surrounded them.  
“It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” Malthael asked softly.

“It has not diminished after so long. Still a marvel of ingenuity and vision.” Imperius agreed with a small chuckle, “It still looks like you can reach out and touch the stars.”

The former archangel lowered his gaze to the floor, wings pulling in close to his back, “I never really...took much of a look at it,” he admitted, “I didn’t care for the stories Magtherius used to weave about the stars, how he used to claim they moved and spun, how it was us who gave life to the stars by the stories we told. That creation was formed from belief.”

Imperius looked at the other angel, wings flaring in slight surprise, “You..didn’t? But you knew them all by heart.”

A soft laugh escaped Malthael, “I thought it all ridiculous and dismissed it. I only knew them as it pleased Magtherius for me to recite them. In trust I focused more on what I could see and quantify. The number of stars, their placements in the Heaven...” his voice trailed off, “When did I lose that spark of wonder?”

“I think we all grew out of that eventually.” Imperius murmured, one hand rising to rub at the corruption.

“Maybe….” 

Malthael fell silent as he slowly let himself sink to the ground, gaze returning upwards to the stars. His arms rested against bent knees as he sat there, staring up at the majesty above. Imperius found his gaze drawn upwards again. The mention of the stories once told had him already looking for the few constellations he remembered. Of course the legend of Unathael always resonated strong with him, an angel of unsurpassed strength who threw the demon Garnor into the stars and unable to let the fight end there, flew away into the cosmos to forever do battle, chasing the demon over the horizon. Or the the long tail of the massive dragon that was said to surround reality that was made of stars, restlessly shifting and causing all of reality to quiver and move in a delicate balance. 

Imperius could not help but feel a small ache for how much he himself had lost of those wonderful stories. 

“He used to meditate here a lot you know. Always looking into the void of stars, not to find answers, he said, but to learn. To just watch things for how they were,” Malthael murmured, “Always seeing a vision of things no one else seemed to grasp. He could always find beauty in the simplest things.”

The archangel glanced to the former archangel. Malthael was trembling slightly, gaze back down to the ground, both hands curled into fists. There was a slight shudder to him, as if he were doing everything he could to keep himself together. 

“He did so much good and yet...and yet I still hate him. I’m still so...so angry at him.”

“Why?”

That was the question that had been burning in Imperius as he looked at his companion. He had never believed that Malthael was angry at Magtherius, not to this degree at least. If anything, his behaviors in the past seemed more born of grief and a vain effort to bury it somehow. The archangel of valor himself could remember being angry at angels who died, consumed by his guilt and wish to have had more time to say goodbye, but those feeling has always seemed to numb with time. 

 

Something though in Malthael’s posture, how his wings were pulled so tight to his back they were almost vanished away spoke of something more. There was something about Magtherius’s death that had consumed him beyond what was normal. There was something truly terrible being left unsaid, some dark side of Magtherius that had effect his ward so terribly, of that, Imperius had no doubt.

What that was though, he couldn’t fathom though.

Malthael did not speak for a long time, his breathing stutteredand one hand raised up to rub furiously under his hood, like a child trying to hide the fact they were crying and not wanting to appear weak. It reminded Imperius of Aladria earlier that day, that same sort of grief that came of a broken family. It only served to make Imperius’s core ache more, wishing that there was something he could do to ease whatever it was that had been burdening his once friend for so long. 

“...Everyone assumes I was just...like the other wisdom angels. Unwanted for the lack of song. Formed of...formed of uneven resonances. Of angels who fell to corruption who, if their soul escaped at all, reformed incomplete and in pieces.” Malthael began slowly, “I thought that too...for so long and that my purpose was to find them a place. To help my kin as Magtherius helped me, but...” the former archangel took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice, “The truth is so much worse Imperius. I was made to be proof. An experiment. I was brought into this wretched existence and lied to all my life. I never was given answers. I learned to hate myself. To hate all evil. I deluded myself that if I could destroy all of Hell, wipe clean every bit of demonic taint, maybe I could prove I was as pure and good as I was told. I wanted so much to be as you. As Auriel. As Tyrael. I wanted to be...”

He trailed off, voice cracking as he hunched in closer, trembling more visibly now.

“Malthael-”

“I wish I never existed. I wish so much I was never made.” 

The words were a whisper as Malthael clutched his knees to his chest, burying his face against them. His entire form trembled and Imperius felt his resonance ache at the sight.

Malthael looked liked he had as a young fledgling, before he had started to speak. Frightened. Withdrawn. Alone. So scared and suspicious of all things and only taking comfort hiding in the embrace of his mentor who had shielded him from the world as best he could. 

Whatever cruel truth had caused Malthael to suffer all this time, it had caused him to pull away from those he had found comfort int to walk alone, as if nursing some silent shame. 

Some silent wound that had never healed and festered in his resonance and rotted out his reason to replace it with some new, twisted emotion. 

For the first time, Imperius could finally see how much the other angel was suffering in his personal Hell.

 

Before he could even register it himself, Imperius found himself sinking down to the floor beside Malthael and turning to pull the other angel into a tight embrace, his wings curling downwards to offer another layer of warmth.

Malthael tensed, one hand wildly coming up to press to Imperius’s chest as if unsure of what the archangel of valor was even doing, but Imperius pressed forward, holding his former friend close and letting out a soft sigh. It was the same gesture Tevar had extended to him when he broke, and even now, he did his best to try and recall his mortal brother’s wise words.

“It is perfectly fine to just...break.” Imperius murmured, “I have done so. More than I would like to admit, but...it has always helped. If you need to break, brother, just do so. I think you have tried holding it all in for far too long.”

There was no response from Malthael. He went limp against Imperius, face pressed against one corrupt shoulder and the archangel of valor found himself holding back a wince at the pinprick of pain that came when Malthael dug claws against his armored thighs. The former archangel of wisdom did not speak but he did cry.

It was a soft sound. Even now, Malthael was not completely apparent about his emotions but even this small sliver spoke volumes of what might be beneath the surface. Imperius just kept one arm about him protectively, as if he could somehow make all the harm go away even though he knew he was powerless to do anything. 

He couldn’t make Malthael tell him exactly w hat troubled him so much. He couldn’t make the others see how broken Malthael was inside. He couldn’t make Heaven give the former archangel a chance to prove himself and right the wrongs done. 

All he could do for now was be there when the other angel was at his most vulnerable. 

He did not know how long they sat there like that. Eventually Malthael had gone silent again and his posture had relaxed some, causing his wings to splay out half over the floor where they slightly rasped against the marble. Slowly Malthael sat back on his heels, looking away as a wing flickered out. 

“...Imperius...I….” he sighed softly, “Thank you. I do not deserve your compassion and yet-”

“I still have hope in you.” Imperius interrupted with a huff, clasping the other angel’s shoulder, “Even if everyone wants to tell me I’m mad otherwise, I know what I believe in.” 

“I think you are mad honestly,” Malthael responded with a tired chuckle, “But then, you have always been unyielding when it came to your opinions on thing. Stubborn to a fault.” 

“I think I’ve learned at least to be stubborn about some things and more...lenient about others.” Imperius murmured, slowly starting to rise to his feet, “And if Auriel was here, she would want us to put faith in one another.” 

He offered a hand to Malthael which was accepted after a moment. The former archangel rose silently, glancing about the observatory before glancing up at the stars still dancing above. He did not speak, although his wings flared some in their bindings and he abruptly pulled away, moving to the observatory controls to start shutting it down, moving once more with a sense of purpose. 

“Then you truly have faith in me?” Malthael asked, his gaze fixed on his task.

Imperius did not hesitate in his answer, nodding his head,“Yes.”

Malthael looked over his shoulder as the observatory powered down, regarding Imperius for a moment before moving towards the stairwell, “Then there is something I can trust you to keep safe. If you will have faith in me, then I will return the favor.” 

That caused Imperius’s wings to flare as he followed after the reaper, finding himself in a near half jogging flutter to keep up with Malthael’s quick stride, “Soemthing to keep safe?”

“Yes. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a fool who keeps powerful relics of Heaven within easy reach.” Malthael said as he reached the bottom of the stairwell quickly, moving to the statue of Magtherius, “Especially ones that have such meaning to our history an are more powerful than one could imagine.”

Imperius’s wings flared, confusion mixing with a slow realization, “What are you talking about?”

Malthael did not give an answer, instead moving to start climbing the statue of his mentor, pulling himself up to where the top of the scroll Magtherius held was. His fingers pressed over a few of the words written in stone.

“Malthael, faith or not, I’m not fond of all these secrets you keep.” Imperius growled, “What are you up to? What do you want me to protect?”

The former archangel chuckled then, glancing down to where Imperius stood, “But secrets are something I always tend to keep. Especially secrets where I can hide items away from the rest of Heaven to retrieve at my conveniance.” 

Malthael looked down as the stone beneath the pressed words gave way to reveal a rather deep alcove just below, carefully carved no doubt by the former archangel himself, “Now ask yourself Imperius: you know I am no fool. I am always careful about things. So why, in the arch’s name, would I have put the book of virtue on such blatant displace for all to see and take as they please?”

Imperius paused, lost for words for a moment before shaking his head, “I...I do not know why. But you did and then Inarius-”

“Did not destroy what he thought he did.” 

Imperius could only gawk as Malthael reached within the alcove which was aglow with a faint light, slowly pulling forth a familiar book. 

It was far more battered then the one Inarius had held, showing more wear, but it glowed with a more brilliant light. The cover was a more tarnished gold and there was signs the book had been bound and rebounded more than once in its long life. There wasn’t a uniformed or completely orderly look to the relic Malthael held , but it radiated power. With a bit of flourish, the former archangel moved to slide back down the statue, landing on his feet and reverently holding the book out towards Imperius who stood there, wide-eyed and speechless to what he saw before him.

“Is that-”

“The real Sada’Vanus yes,” Malthael confirmed, “I hid it away and put a fake copy upon the pedestal. If anything were to happen to the fake, everyone would be none the wiser and be confident enough they had destroyed it. I initially put it in place as a fail safe should Hell ever infiltrate Heaven to steal it. I suppose though, it also works for those like Inarius wanting to make a grand show of disdain for our history.”

Imperius stared at Malthael, wings flared wide. Anger boiled in his core as realization sunk in, “But! Yesterday! You...you attacked Inarius! You attacked him over...over a fake!?”

“He was expecting a strong reaction.” Malthael said with a shrug, “I had to make him believe that he had destroyed the real book. I had to make sure all of you believed it. That way, no one would think to look elsewhere for it.” 

“But you damned yourself!” Imperius roared in protest, “By attacking him you may have ruined your any chance of clemency! He is riling up all of Heaven against you now, using that incident as fuel and it was...all an act!? For a book!?”

Malthael looked down at Sada’Vanus, giving a small shake of his head, “This book is more important than me, Imperius.” he finally said, looking up at the furious archangel, “Inarius is not a fool. I’m sure he already suspects it was a fake. Why he was so willing to burn it. Even hidden as it is, he may find it and I do not want it to fall into his hands.” 

The former archangel’s wings flared, as he extended the book towards Imperius, “You will need it, more than ever to save Heaven and put things right. Thus, I beseech you Imperius, as my second favor, please, become Sada’Vanus new protector. I pass the book of virtue to you.”

Imperius didn’t know what to say as Malthael presented Sada’Vanus to him. Of course he was upset and his anger was boiling beneath the surface as he stared at the former archangel. The whole attack on Inarius was a carefully presented act of anger. The whole time, he had been so in control of his emotions, probably relieved in fact to see it was the fake he crafted being burned. So many had been truamatized all for nothing. Then to hold his silence for so long…

“I can’t believe you lied to me!” 

“It was no lie. To be fair, I was angry with Inarius over what he said. You know I do not have much patience for fools spouting nonsense, especially nonsense about things he doesn’t understand,” Malthael drawled, “My intent to kill him was completely sincere.” 

“But you damned yourself for a book!?”

“That is my burden to bare Imperius. Only I can save myself. You’ve already done so much for me and I want to repay your kindness. You will need Sada’Vanus.”

 

The archangel of valor stared down at the book. It was being offered to him and his anger aside, curiosity burned at his core. Imperius knew that within those pages were secrets that could save Heaven. There was knowledge untouched and vast, the musings of all the rulers before them and if legend stood correct, even writings by Anu himself that could help guide and unify Heaven once more. 

An unimaginable power lay before him, no, entrusted to him so that he could keep it from falling into the hands of those who might use it for their own selfish purposes. 

The book needed a protector, someone to keep it safe. The book needed its owner.

Imperius looked away clenching his hands and giving a shake of his head. 

“No. I will not answer this favor.” Imperius growled, “I am no scholar. I am a warrior and I will trust, as always in my own strength.” 

“Imperius-”

“The book was entrusted to you, and until your final breath, Malthael, you are its protector. It is what Magtherius left to you,” Imperius interrupt d firmly, reaching out the push the book back towards the former archangel, “In his final breath, he mandated that you inherit Sada’Vanus and I will not overturn his final will. You are the book of virtue’s protector and its wielder. As you always have been.”

“I am to face trial and execution most likely-”

“Most likely, but not assuredly.” Imperius growled, crossing his arms, “Besides, I do not think I would even be able to read and make heads or tails of the blasted book. I would most likely throw it out the window after trying to get through a page of it. Probably as terrible as trying to study poetry.”

Malthael stared at Imperius before looking down at the book in his hands before letting out a short laugh, “Well, that makes two of us then.”

Imperius started, wings flaring, “You...you can’t read it?”

“The language it is written in is very strange. Angelic, but not quite. Magtherius never taught me how to read it. I never even saw a page of it until after his death. All he told me was he taught me everything I would need to translate it.” Malthael admitted, “And after his death, I...didn’t really dedicate time to studying it. I thought it a waste of time.”

“You can’t even read it...” Imperius shook his head, “I can’t believe it. You never even looked at it closely? After all those years of seeing it and wanting to look inside it?”

Malthael shrugged, glancing away, “...it was difficult to look at without being reminded of my mentor. There are pages...that still have his blood splattered over them. The stains haven’t come out.” 

Imperius felt silent, wincing, “I...I see.”

“But...that is no excuse now, is it?” Malthael murmured, looking down at the cover, “Are you sure you will not take it?”  
“I am sure. The book of virtue has always been entrusted to you and you have kept it safe,” Imperius sighed, “Even willing to put your life on the line for it. I do not think anyone else is better suited to the task, archangel of wisdom.” 

Malthel looked up sharply at the use of his title, hands tensing about the book. He stared at Imperius before looking down at the book. His wings flicked a few times before his grip tensed and he turned on his heels, moving over to one of the dusty bookshelves that lined the walls. 

He looked over the titles before pulling out one of the thicker books and before Imperius could ask what he was doing, Malthael ripped the cover off the book and moved to wrap it about Sada’Vanus. A few moments of fiddling and the book of virtue was hidden within the cover, looking like any other book which he tucked under one arm. 

“Some light reading and nothing more.” Malthael said smoothly. “No one will question me having some new borint tome to pour over.” 

Imperius gave a small nod, “Yes. Just getting you some reading material and nothing else.” he murmured, “But isn’t that a lie?”

“Imperius, I never said the book wasn’t Sada’Vanus. It is just light reading and to others, may appear boring. Something only I would read. I never lie. Just no one asks the right questions.” 

He chuckled, giving a shrug, “And even so, if they do ask the right question, I don’t have to answer. Let them make their own assumptions.”

Imperius eyed Malthael before giving a shake of his head. Emotional one minute, practical and cunning the next. It was clear the other angel’s moods were prone, it seemed, to sudden intense shifts of mood.   
Or Malthael was just better at replacing his mask when it was needed or when he was feeling particularly driven by some goal. 

The archangel of valor approached the former archangel and put a hand on his shoulder, “I pray you know what you are doing.”

“I don’t know. I never have actually.” Malthael let out a bitter laugh, “Why start trying to understand what to do now?”

“Not words of comfort.”

“No, but wisdom is about harsh realities at times,” Malthael stepped closer to Imperius, “And I think we have tarried enough from my cell. We should return before anyone notices.”

The archangel of valor gave a nod, at least finding something to agree upon as he teleported the two of them back to the prison. 

Imperius had expected to return without any incident or anyone knowing they were gone. The guards wouldn’t enter to come looking for him and the only other angel that knew he was there was Ignaceus and he knew better than to send someone to fetch him when he was dealing with Malthael. 

Thus it was a surprise to find someone sitting on the ground across from the empty cell, knees to their chest and head slumped against them as if they had been waiting for a while. 

As the two angels suddenly appeared, the figure jumped, wide, mortal eyes staring up at them and Imperius himself took a step back while Malthael tensed slightly, carefully shifting the disguised book he carried out of sight behind him more. 

“Aladria! What are you doing here!?” Imperius hissed. 

The scholar looked away, rubbing at her flushed complexion. Her eyes were still puffy from tears and when she spoke, there was the remnants of a stutter that indicated she had not calmed down much since that morning. 

“...I came to see Malthael.” 

“You wouldn’t have permission to come down here...” Imperius murmured. “I doubt the guards would let you pass.”

She smiled ruefully, although it didn’t reach her eyes as she rose to her feet, “I just said I had something to deliver to you post haste from Ignaceus. They let me through without too much questioning...”

“Ah. That would do it...” Imperius murmured.

It was a clever move. Cleverness that was as shrewd as Malthael’s own wits. Imperius quickly cleared his throat, not wanting to dwell on that thought, especially given the two were by all accounts related in soul. He was also aware now of Malthael cocking his head to the side, wings giving a curious flit as he fixed his attention on the mortal scholar.

“What did you need to speak to Malthael for?” Imperius asked slowly, “I do not think he has anything of interest to your research.” 

She looked away, shoulders tensed as she clutched a book to her chest, “I was reading about the angel hosts and tribes and all of it is not making sense and no one seems to know much about them, or remember much, or care to talk beyond known facts and someone mentioned Malthael knew a lot about them so...I came here.”

Aladria’s voice had started to crack and she was rubbing at her eyes, refusing to look at either of them as tears slipped out. She was upset and Imperius doubted she had come all the way down here for such a mundane topic, especially when she was clearly still so distraught. Imperius didn’t even know what to say to comfort her and he had a sinking feeling trying to shoo her away would only cause her mood to worsen. 

Imperius had just moved to say something when he stepped back in surprise as Malthael moved passed him briskly, approaching the mortal fully now. Every fiber of the archangel of valor’s form went tense as the dark angel stared down at Aladria for a long uncomfortable moment before he crouched down to be eye level with Aladria.

 

The mortal did not shrink away from his gaze, only peering at him uncertainty, biting her lip. Malthael soon cocked his head again to the side, resting his arms on his bent knees. A chuckled escaped him as he lifted a hand, one finger delicately catching one of the tears on her cheeks. 

“That isn’t why you came here to see me.” 

The sentence was a matter-of-fact statement, although the tone was surprisingly gentle, more akin to a parent trying to coax something out of a reluctant child. The tone seemed so bizarre coming from Malthael and it did nothing to calm the archangel’s nerves.

Aladria stiffened at his words, pulling away and her gaze dropping to the ground again. She bit her lip, clutching the book tighter, “...I’m not telling a lie...it is true in part...” 

“Then what is the other part?” Malthael asked.

The mortal scholar swallowed hard, slowly lifting her gaze back up to Malthael. The uncertainty was still clear in her eyes, trying to search out something in the reaper’s body language before looking away, “Its...its stupid really. I’m just...its been a weird day and I’m not thinking straight and-”

“It is important to you so it can’t be that stupid by your account,” Malthael drawled, “So what is it?”

Aladria flinched a bit, shifting from foot to foot, clutching the book tighter against her chest. After a moment, she took a deep breath, eyes fixed down at the floor, “...I never knew any of my family.” she began slowly, “No relatives. Especially on my father’s side...not...not until now. And maybe it is stupid of me, Tevar thinks its stupid.” She looked away, furious tears starting to trickle down her cheeks again which she quickly wiped away, “I barely knew my father was an angel...Hadriel. I guess...it is just...me being stupid and an idiot to want you because...I guess...I guess you are family now. My actual paternal grandfather and...I just...maybe see if you are..” 

She swallowed hard, gaze flicking up again, eyes wet with tears again and filled with a longing that caused Imperius’s resonance to clench. The mortal wanted to meet Malthael because she wanted to find family, actual family in her life. There was such hope there, such sincerity, it was almost painful to look, especially when Imperius was certain Malthael would turn her away.

The former archangel had gone silent, wings rigid and pulled against his back as no doubt he was letting it sink in that Hadriel had conceived with a mortal, had fathered a nephelem of all things, and that his lineage was now standing before him. 

Aladria shifted, looking away, her expression starting to fall, “I mean...I can understand if you don’t want to talk at all or answer my questions. We don’t know each other. I heard you ...really don’t like mortals and it is probably some blight to see me but, I just...I just had to try. I just need to try and hope for the best and-”

Her words were cut off and Imperius found himself tensing as Malthael reached out a hand and put a finger to her lips, “Calm yourself. There is no need for so many words. I understand what you are asking.” 

Aladria flushed, “….sorry. I sometimes….just sorry.” 

She looked away, looking on the verge of tears once more, biting her lip. Malthael let out a soft sigh and rose to his feet, looking down at her before turning to head to his cell. She didn’t look up, her shoulders quaking already turning to leave. Imperius felt anger burning up in his chest, all but ready to yell at Malthael when the former archangel glanced over his shoulder with a huff, noticing her walking away.

“Where are you going? I thought you came here to ask me questions?”

Aladria jumped, turning around wide-eyed, “You mean-”

“. I don’t like to draw things out and time is not in our favor.” he said wit ha vague gesture to the table, “And there is much to discuss in relation to the tribes. We can begin our discussion there and...then see where things go from there.” He paused, glancing over to Imperius, “Of course, only if I’m permitted a visitor?”

Imperius started, looking at Malthael and then to where Aladria stood, a hopeful spark coming back to her eyes. A hand raised to rub at the corruption on his chest before he let out a sigh, turning away, “By Heaven’s law, those of same lineage are allowed visitations. I will keep watch but only for an hour.”

He could see the delight in Aladria, how a smile wobbled its way onto her face as she ducked her head quickly, “Thank you Impeirus I..this is...just thank you.” she gushed before turning on her heels and trotting over to where Malthael was already taking his usual seat again, pulling out parchment and taking up his quill. 

Aladria all but clamored up to the table, eagerly pulling a chair up. There were tears yes, but they were not ones entirely made of sorrow. She furiously wiped at her face, trying to put herself together and starting to babble on. She was still upset, but something in this, something about talking to Malthael seemed to give her comfort and her voice gained more of its strength and confidence. Where others often would feel intimidated by Malthael, she seemed to all but glow as he started to lecture her in his usual matter-of-fact way. 

The former archangel almost seemed to enjoy speaking with Aladria, leaning forward in the way that indicated whatever was being said was of interest and although he couldn’t hear what the two were murmuring about, it seemed to be an exchange that both were invested in.

The archangel of valor leaned against the wall, half keeping an eye on the two as they talked quietly and half on the hall leading out of the hold in case a guard did pass by He did not want to have anyone find out he let Aladria get that close to Malthael. Itherael would no doubt have his head for sure. 

He also didn't’ want to have the two disturbed as they seemed to be establishing some tenuous connection between them as they spoke and took notes on what was being said. 

It was...strange a sight. It was calm in a way, but also one filled with a small glow of delight. Aladria was more animated now, her expression a range of emotions from excited to a quiet contemplation, brow furrowed in concentration, to sudden realizations and eager questions. Malthael too seemed oddly relaxed, able to go along with her changes in attitude quickly and with a patience that Imperius honeslty had never witnessed before. He could only attribute it to the fact that the former archangel had taken in a human ward and she in turn had taught Malthael something about empathy.

In that moment, Imperius wished everyone in Heaven could see this sight of the terrifying archangel of death, leaned in with a mortal, talking about the past of Heaven as a mentor would to a fledgling pupil. How he was drawing out quick diagrams, even sharing a chuckle with her as she made some comment about something he said. 

Malthael did not look like the lunatic they all assumed he was.

Not as cold or unfeeling as so many believed. 

It made Imperius’s resonance both swell with ease and ache knowing that this might be the first and last time such a meeting would occur between the two. One trying to find some sort of familiar connection, the other trying to find his way out of his own misery. 

Tomorrow, there was to be a trial and by the end of it, there may be an empty seat at the table. 

Imperius looked away from the sight, feeling his soul wrench again and wishing more and more that he had somehow stopped Malthael from doing what hhe had don in the past but knowing now, there was nothing he could have done. 

The hour seemed to pass too quickly and Imperius found himself reluctantly clearing his throat, to gain the attention of the former archangel and scholar at the table“ Aladria… it is time to leave.”

The mortal looked up, her expression starting to deflate as she slowly began to slide away from the table, “...time already?”

“We need to go back. I’m sure Tevar and Itherael are worried about you,” He murmured. “And I’ve been gone for a long time as well.”

Aladria gave a nod before glancing to Malthael, “...Thank you.”

“It is my pleasure.” Malthael said wit ha shrug, “Should you wish to seek my wisdom again, do not hesitate to ask Imperius permission to come with a guard of course.” 

“I will!” 

Aladria gave another bow of her head, “What you explained is helping me to focus my research immensely, far more than it was before!” 

She reluctantly pulled away and exited the cell which Impeirus closed behind her, locking Malthael back up. The former archangel barely glanced over to Imperius as he took out the disguised Sada’Vanus carefully opening it to the first page and hunching over it, quill and parchment already being pulled closer. He paused for a moment, his quill posed over his inkwell before looking over to Imperius with a nod of his head. 

“I will see you tomorrow Imperius. For whatever may come.” 

“For whatever may come.” Imperius echoed, “Let us hope for the best.” 

“That is all we have left now.”   
Imperius eyed Malthael one last time before turning away, a hand on Aladria’s shoulder as he teleported them away back to the halls of valor. Aladria was glowing, but there was sadness in her expression. She looked down at the book she held as well as the parchment she had with notes written down for her by Malthael. 

She glanced up at Imperius, worrying her lip some, “….do you think...do you think they are really going to kill him?”

“I don’t know.” Imperius said quietly, “I hope not.”

“….me too.” she murmured softly. “He...he isn’t as bad as some people make him out to be. I know he did terrible things in the past. Genocide is...not something that can be forgiven but...” She let out a sigh shoulders sagging, “Maybe I’m just...being too sentimental about this just because well...he’s technically my grandfather.”

The archangel of valor looked down at the scholar and carefully brought a hand down on her shoulder, “I feel he has paid dearly for his crimes already He has suffered and he has tried to do better.” he looked away, letting his gaze settle on the spires of Heaven, “But I think it is best you get some rest. It has been a trying day for you.”

“And you too.” Aladria retorted with a smile, “Even an archangel needs a chance to slow down. I haven’t seen you just sit down and game with Tevar in ages or watch a movie with Rakanoth and Tyrael.” 

Imperius let out a hum, wings flicking out as his tail lazily swished about, “Perhaps. Perhaps I’ll take the rest of the evening off to sort my thoughts.”

He gave a small pat to her shoulder before starting to pull away, “I will see you tomorrow morning, sister.” 

Aladria smiled and dipped her head cheeks glowing at the familiar title, “See you tomorrow, bright and early.” she paused before ducking her head, “Brother.” 

He watched her move off into the halls that the mortals had claimed, ducking about the corner and into the living room, no doubt heading towards her room. Imperius felt a warmth in his chest, feeling perhaps a little better about tomorrow. 

At least there was one person on his side.

The archangel turned away and began to head to his own private quarters, deciding a few moments of rest would probably do him well. Just time to sit and muse about everything the day had thrown at him and try to get his thoughts in order. His emotions felt a mess, unsure of how to even feel. Anger and happiness mixed with concern and calm, causing more a swirling storm of confusion within his soul. It was enough to make his corruption seem to prickle, as if it wasn’t sure if this swirl was something it could feed on or not. 

As Imperius entered his personal quarters, he had to pause at seeing Rakanoth lounged out on his favorite lounger, half dozing before remembering he gave the demon permission to be here.   
He let out a sigh as he closed the door behind him, walking over to the demon, arms crossed, “You do not have to take up every inch of my favorite resting place.” 

The demon gave a hum, lifting his head some, “There is room enough.”

“Yes, if I wanted to be pressed up against you like a baby cherubim cuddling its mother,” Imperius grumbled. 

Rakanoth chuckled, sitting up some and lazily moving out an arm about Imperius, tugging the archangel close to his chest., “And what is wrong with that?”

Imperius grunted, struggling some before going still as he felt the demon start to purr, bringing that pleasant thrill down his wings and into his core. He didn’t protest it though or pull away. Instead, he merely crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“You are being a pain again. I come here to relax and you bring me more stress.”

“So you say, but I know you like the pleasant tingle of my purr against your wings.” 

Imperius merely grunted in response, pushing the demon away slightly as he moved to slump belly down on the lounge chair, crossing his arms against the soft fabric so he could rest his head against them, “It is the only thing I like about you.”

Rakanoth tilted his head some, leaning forward, “I take it the rest of your day was rough?”

“If I get a minute where I do not have to think about anything, it would be a miracle, “Imperius growled. “So I implore you to shut your mouth and stop making me think!”

Rakanoth cocked his head thoughtfully before grinning wide, “Well, I know another way of making you not think,” the demon practically cooed, moving to lounge on top the angel, a loud purr rumbling in his chest. 

The archangel of valor tensed before relaxing, grumbling as he felt the pleasant tingle once more against his wings. This time he didn’t pull away and perhaps subtly arched against the pleasant sensation.

“If your suggestion has to do with making me feel depressed, then I will have to pass. I feel utterly drained of any good emotions already,” Imperius huffed.

 

“No, not feeling depressed.”Rakanoth said with a shake of head, “It is more feeling ah, good.” 

That caused Imperius to turn his head wearily eye the demon, “And what, pray tell, will you do to make me feel good.” he grumbled.

The demon lowered his head then, that long tongue snaking out and before Imperius could ask what in the Hells he was doing, he went rigid at it pressed up against the base of his wings, the tip squirming just below the armor struts and sending an intense shock of pleasure through his very core. He let out an undignified sound, caught between a gasp, a yelp, and a growl and he quickly rolled onto his back, both hands coming up to seize the demon’s maw between his hands.

“What...what do you think you are doing!? You do not have my permission to do such things!” Imperius barked, armor flushing red. 

The demon only grinned, tongue snaking back into his mouth as he nuzzled lightly against Imperius’s hands, “It is something that feels good and makes you not think yes?”

“That is…! Are you trying to seduce me you fiend!?”

“Maybe.” The demon purred, flicking his tongue out teasingly, “Is it working?”

“No!” Imperius huffed, his armor flushed a dark red in embarrassment, “I gave you no such permission to...to do that with your tongue! Or attempt to seduce me!”

“Then am I permitted to seduce you, oh lord Imperius?” Rakanoth asked, both his tails wagging, “Or are you going to keep holding my maw between your hands like a playful lover?” 

Imperius looked away, blushing as he crossed his arms over his chest letting go of the demon’s maw, “This is….absolutely disgusting.” he grumbled, although his tone did not indicate any anger.

The demon only chuckled, leaning down to light nuzzle Imperius, giving small nips against his corrupted shoulder and causing the archangel to shudder in a strange sense of pleasure, “You didn’t tell me yes or no.”

“I am….undecided.” Imperius growled, unable to look at the demon, his armor heating up in a mixture of shame and embarrassment now, “You are a demon.”

“I am. And you are an angel. The bravest, strongest angel in all of Heaven. An absolute terror in battle. Passionate and unstoppable.” The demon purred low, “I am truly so lucky a demon to have a lord to serve like you.”

“Flattery will get you no where demon,” Imperius grumbled.

“But maybe this will?” 

Imperius tensed as the demon suddenly dipped his head lower and then he let out an undignifed squawk, squirming away from the demon, both hands coming down on his head, “How-! I did not say yes to this!”

“Do you want me to stop?” 

 

The archangel tensed, feeling skittish about the whole affair. A loud part of him was screaming this was blasphemy to even consider and that such things were against the laws of creation. Another part of him was too tired to care anymore, too caught up in the stresses of the day and of everything going on. His emotions were a complete wreck and what he wouldn’t give to just throw everything out the window.

 

There was a trial tomorrow that would have his nerves worked up. All of Heaven stood upon the edge of a knife. Aladria was upset more than she wanted to let on. Malthael was starting to finally heal but it might be all for naught. His troops were on edge and their opinions split. Itherael was starting to fall pray to his own fears and Tyrael was losing sight of what had made him the shining beacon of justice that mortals had adored.

Everyting was a mess and just thinking about it made Imperius feel somewhat overwhelmed, as if he was barely keeping himself in flight in a raging storm.

He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to keep feeling so pent up and angry, so stressed about what was to come. 

He was tired and fed-up. His nerves frayed. His entire form feeling pressed in from all sides. 

What harm was there in some small indulgence?

Imperius reached down, tentatively at first and then with more confidence, grasping the demon’s head between his hands. He stared at Rakantoh for a long minute before leaning back pulling the demon along with him. His wings fluttering in a small show of nervous anticipation and no small amount of curiosity. There was also a wave of revulsion at the fact he was even considering this, but then again, he was already corrupted. What more harm could the demon really do to him now?

“No. I don’t want you to stop,” He murmured, “I dont’ want to think about anything. Just...make me forget for an evening.”

Rakanoth’s purr grew to a thunderous din then, leaning in to nuzzle up against Imperius’s chest gently, “I’ll make sure you feel completely at ease.” 

“I don’t care about that.” Imperius growled, grip tightening some on the demon’s head as he started to push them down, glancing away, “Make me not be able to think anyway you know how but I warn you demon, if I have even a stray thought about today, I will consider this whole thing a terrible experience and never let you near me again!”

The demon hummed , the grin growing wider as he allowed himself to be pushed to where he was before, his long tongue snaking out eagerly. 

“I guarantee you will not have a single thought until morning. I was trained by the maiden of anguish after all and not all her tricks were ah...about causing anguish.” he purred.

“You talk to much demon.” Imperius growled, “I do not care for those that speak and have little action to back up their claims.” 

A cackle escaped Rakanoth and he spoke no further, eagerly dipping his head lower. Imperius tensed at the first touch, fingers digging against the demon’s hide, glancing about the room to ensure no one was there. He swallowed back the small sounds of sudden pleasure that wanted to escape, only letting out a small growl.

The sound caused Rakanoth to lift his head again, head tilted, “...you don’t like?”

Imperius was silent for a moment before his grip tightened on the demon, pushing him back down, “I did not tell you to stop demon,” he growled, “And I’m still able to think about the day! I told you, you have this one time to convince me of how skilled you even are at pleasing me!” 

Rakanoth paused before grinning wide, “As you wish, my lord.” 

Imperius didn’t want to think about what he was letting happen nor did he want to think about the trial, about Malthael, about Heaven, or any of the other thousands of worries he had. Just for tonight. Pleasure was surging in his core, starting to wash all of that way. Heat curling within his form promising an oblivion he had only heard whispered between troops over idly banter and drink. Part of him was still besides itself in horror at what was happening but a far larger part of him simply didn’t care anymore.

Not tonight.

All that matter was that slowly growing fog of bliss that clouded out all other things and the new sensations that required all his attention to adjust to. 

Come tomorrow morning, he would have time again to worry about all of this and worry about everything that would transpire then. 

For now, there was only thoughts of heat and fire and the embrace of a pleasurable eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! It is one of those infamous bridge chapters but....I feel a lot of what is in this chapter needed addressed before the trial c: and well *eyebrow waggle* I leave it to your imagination what happened there at the end XD


	24. The Trial

The rays of morning came too quickly for Imperius and it was with apprehension his gaze was drawn to the small shafts of lights that danged off the walls. Each playful ray caused the décor in his room to gleam, highlighting the reds and golds that made up the livery of his host let out small halos of light themselves.   
  
Any other day, Imperius would have taken comfort in the warm glow of morning that was beginning to light up his room. Today though, that light was anything but comforting. There was something dead, almost cold about how it crept into his room to rouse him from his thoughts once more and draw his attention away from his idle petting of the demon head in his lap.   
  
The light this morning brought with it the grim tidings of a trial to be had this day in only a few scant hours, like the weak rays of the sun just before a gathering storm upon the horizon. Just the thought of it had Imperius wishing that he could force the light back into the night and enjoy few moments without the weight of all of Heaven and creation itself settling upon his shoulders.  He did not want to see this trial.

Yet there was no stopping the light as it poured into his room, racing across the floor as if eager to uncover every hint of shadow in preparation for the trial to come. There was no ignoring what was to come this day.

The archangel let out a heavy sigh, letting his head fall back and wings splay out in a reluctant droop across the floor as he continued to scratch his more demonic clawed hands over the top of Rakanoth’s head.  
  
Imperius found himself glancing down at the demon, one clawed hand continuing to scratch over the top of his head. The gesture was soothing in its own way and brought back an embarrassing flood of memory of the night before. At the very least, the demon had done as promised in helping him to forget what was to come today and perhaps he felt a bit less on edge to cope with whatever sneering comments Inarius was going to throw about the court.

Yet the concern and apprehension still lingered in his soul as surely as the corruption that continued to seethe under his will.   
  
“You still seemed trouble.”   
  
Imperius lifted his head as he heard the demon’s sleepy murmurs, glancing down at his unlikely companion, “I doubt anything will cause my soul not to be troubled today,” he murmured. Imperius then paused before glancing away, “Although...briefly, you managed to take it away.”  
  
Rakanoth chuckled, only moving a small bit to lean into the archangel’s hand, “At least it is something I suppose. After today, there will be nothing more to worry about this whole Malthael issue, yes?”  
  
“I suppose that depends on the outcome.” Imperius let out a sigh, hands tensing and causing his claws to drag a little more against the rough skin of the demon, “If what I hope comes to pass, the matter will be settled and we can focus on other things.”  
  
“Like finding Mephisto.”  
  
Imperius gave a small nod, “And just taking stock more of the situation in Sanctuary. We have routed one or two minor demon lords, but I’m sure the masses of Hell have far more than what small pushes we’ve made.”

“I suppose it is hard to worry about war and the conflict when a power struggle is taking place in your own court,” Rakanoth said, his voice muffled by a slight yawn, “I find it surprising that Heaven has such struggles, although, it is far less entertaining and too far drawn out. Too many rules and talking to figure out who should be in charge. Demons settle it so much more simply with blood and violence. Done in a day.”  
  
Imperius snorted, “Not all things need to be settled with-”  
  
His words trailed off as his claws accidentally sunk into the demon’s hide, tearing forth a large chunk of skin. Quickly, Impeirus pulled back his hand, wings flaring an alarm and expecting some sort of sound of pain from the demon or even a spurt of blood for the accidental tear. Instead, Rakanoth made no sound and the tear itself drew no blood as if it were merely skin being shed. Beneath the tear, there seemed a darker patch of new skin that glistened strangely in the like. The lord of despair let out a huff, his head lulling to the right as he turned his head in the direction of the archangel, teeth slightly bared.   
  
“Why did you stop?”  
  
“Your skin came lose.” Imperius murmured, flicking the hunk of dead skin aside with no small amount of disgust, “I thought it would harm you but….it seems it was just peeling.”   
  
The demon let out a groan, letting his head fall back into Imperius’s lap, “I know! It is getting irritating! I am not a demon that molts and let my skin is getting so dry and peeling everywhere!” he growled, “I’m practically gnawing at my own hide to get it off. It itches something awful and my back is in absolutely itch-ridden Hell to the point it feels like it is burning!”   
  
Imperius sat up, moving to get to his knees and causing the demon to have to pull away as the lap he was resting on vanished. Rakanoth grumbled under his breath as he reluctantly roe to sit back on his haunches, one arm coming up to rub against his head, causing a few more flakes of dry sacales to rub off.   
  
The archangel of valor huffed, making a mental note to have someone come in to give his room a good cleaning given how much dead skin the demon was probably trailing in. Still, his wings flickering as he eyed the demon curiously, “Why haven’t you spoken up about this? I never thought you one to hide your belly-aching.”

 

“It was just a little itching and shedding.” Rakanoth huffed, “It is only recently it is getting unbearable!”   
  
The demon lowered his head, one arm lifting to scratch at the part that Imperius had peeled from the top of his head, humming thoughtfully, “Although, that was actually a relief whatever you did. Soothed one of those nasty itches nicely.”

“Hmm….”   
  
Imperius rose to his feet, balancing carefully on the day lounger as he gripped Rakanoth’s head to pull it down more into an uncomfortable angle to see the spoke more closely in the light. It was deeper than he realized, a rather substantial chunk of skin and one that would have caused some sort of pain in any other circumstance. He reached to run his fingers against the spot, wings flicking out thoughtfully as he noted whatever was beneath was far more solid than the rest of Rakanoth’s outer hide. Not to mention in the light, it clearly had a more obvious gleam and smooth shape then what was expected of demonic scales.  
  
If anything, it almost felt metallic.  
  
“Are you sure you aren’t molting?” Imperius asked, pulling back from his inspection.  
  
Rakanoth let out a small growl, tossing his head, “Of course I am! I haven’t molted since I reached my full height!”

“Then maybe you are just getting bigger?”

The lord of despair snorted, giving a nudge to push Imperius away from him some before moving to slink off the day lounger, “Demons don’t just spontaneously grow past puberty you nit! I don’t know if that is different for angels or not, but I am not getting bigger!”

“Mmm, if you say so...” Imperius murmured, “But it looks like a molt.”  
  
The demon let out a growl, moving to lie out flat on his stomach on the floor as he typically did when sulking, “Don’t you have a trial to get to? I think you are just wasting time.”   
  
Imperius tensed, wings flicking as he glanced away, “I do, yes.” he murmured, “In a few hours, but I am not stalling! I was truly concerned!”  
  
“If you say so,” the demon grumbled, “I still say you are trying to wait until the last minute to go.”  
  
“I am not looking forward to the clash of egos and of the relentless sparing of words the two will no doubt throw at one another, but I am not avoiding it,” Imperius growled, moving to get to his own feet.

Rakanoth lifted his head some, flashing a slight grin, “I’m looking forward to that! It will be delightful to see what old grudges they are going to be bringing up.”  
  
Imperius’s wings pulled to his back as the demon let out a little cackle. Of course though a demon would take delight in something that caused most distress. It was in his very nature to be as such, even if he was slowly losing such habits as he spent more time in Heaven. The archangel turned away, starting to head to the door.

“I’m going to see if Aladria and Tevar are awake. I want to prepare them for the day,” Imperius said, stretching out his wings to their full length and giving a few slow flaps, “The court proceedings of Heaven are far different than those of Heaven and I do not want them to start an incident.”  
  
“They overcomplicate everything as mortals,” Rakanoth drawled, moving to settle back down, “But I am eager to see how this little circus trial plays out. It promises to be entertaining, although I still say having the two fight it out would be more entertaining.”  
  
“This isn’t a gladiatorial ring of politics like Hell, Rakanoth.” Imperius snapped, looking over his shoulder, “But….I suppose circus is an apt comparison.”  
  
The demon sat up, stretching out some, “Either way, once it is over, It won’t be anything to think about.”

Imperius raised a hand to rub over his corruption as he turned back to the door, “…one can only hope.”

The archangel of valor’s thoughts were troubled as he reached out to teleport to the kitchen. All the stress that had been building over the last few days felt like it was coming to a head all over again. As he appeared in the kitchen, Tevar barely glanced up, by this time, more than use to the sudden appearance of the archangel of valor.   
  
The mortal man arched an eyebrow as he watched Imperius move over to the coffee machine, chuckling slightly as the archangel of valor began to pour himself a mug of the dark liquid, “Must be a rough morning already if you are going for the coffee.”

“More a preemptive cup in preparation of all the stress that is going to come today,” Impeirus retorted, setting the coffee pot down, “Whatever you mortals put in this bitter liquid causes my core to feel more alert.”

“That, my friend, is the power of caffeine,” Tevar said, lifting his own mug, “Here’s to hoping it carries us through without undo irritation.”

“I wish I could have caffeine.” A familiar voice groggily chimed from the doorway.   
  
Imperius glanced over his shoulder as Aladria wandered in, the mortal looking utterly exhausted as if she hadn’t slept all night. She shuffled over to the table and slipped into her chair with a loud thud, slumping down in her chair. Tevar arched another eyebrow as he peered at her over his mug, “You look like death warmed over this morning, Aladria.”

 “I couldn’t sleep all night. Itherael was keyed up and I was keyed up…” she grumbled, lifting her head just enough to shoot Tevar a withering look, “We spent most of the night just trying to solve unsolved mystery shows online to try and take our minds off things…”  
  
“Geeze…everyone is keyed up,” Tevar grumbled with a shake of his head, “Hell, I am pretty sure I saw Ignaceus drop paperwork this morning and that never happens. Even Ira has been completely on edge too. Like, the sort of on edge that comes from chugging caffeine all night, downing a bag of pixie sticks, and then watching nothing but true crime drama until you turn yourself into a paranoid ball of nerves.”  
  
Aladria arched an eyebrow, “I think for such a specific image there, you are speaking from experience?”  
  
“One time and that was in high school,” Tevar retorted, “And my grandpa Shen did not help with telling me all sorts of wild stories about how he avoided murder about a million times.”  
  
Aladria merely chuckled, tiredly glancing to Imperius, “So…how do you think this is going to go?”  
  
“I have no idea,” Imperius admitted, coming over to take a seat, nursing his cup of coffee, “Inarius and Malthael are both excellent orators, both know the laws of Heaven backwards and forwards, and both love to rip into other people’s arguments…”  
  
“They sound like birds of a feather. You would think they would be friends or something,” Tevar commented with a shake of his head.  
  
Imperius paused, staring down into the dark liquid of his coffee, “They were. Sort of. It was a mentor and student relationship more so. Inarius used to be completely enamored with Malthael, doing everything he could to gain his favor and attention. The two used to work closely on many a project.” He paused for a moment before letting out a soft sigh, “Of course, that was before the whole archangel incident…”

 

Aladria arched an eyebrow, leaning forward, “Sounds like that is a story there.”

  
  
Imperius gave a small shake of his head, “Not really just…to put it bluntly, Tyrael and Inarius have always been in competition with each other, more a fault of Heaven. They were a perfect split of Magtherius’s resonance, so naturally, everyone in Heaven seemed convinced one of them was more …Magtherius than the other. Always pushing them to outdo one another, learn everything they could, and strive for a higher position in Heaven.” Imperius glanced over at the two mortals, “Malthael deemed it necessary to have an archangel appointed to uphold the courts after the archangel of judgement was killed in combat and both were considered.”

 

“And Tyrael got the position right?” Tevar asked between mouthfuls of cereal.  
  
“Indeed and that did not sit well with Inarius. Of the two, it was Inarius who knew more about the laws of Heaven and its intricacies. He all but demand Malthael explain why he chose Tyrael. To put it bluntly, Malthael saw Inarius as too self-serving and ambitious and Tyrael was far more partial and empathetic…” Imperius’s wings tensed, his tail curling about his chair, “Ever since then Inarius absolutely loathed Malthael and the two came to butt heads time and time again, quiet publically as well. Then the incident with the worldstone and creation of Sanctuary and…”  
  
Imperius trailed off with a sigh, looking away, “They share a lot of bad blood and mutual disdain and Inarius will spare no detail, no tiny loophole in the law to get Malthael put to death to settle his grudge.”  
  
“Oh, this trial is going to be lovely,” Aladria drawled sarcastically, “And why was it a good idea to make him the quote unquote prosecutor from what I understand of Itherael’s explanation?”

“He knows the laws, his mental instability aside, he will draw the truth out of Malthael for everyone to see. Or that is at least the only reasoning I can see,” Imperius grumbled, “Although he was not my first choice. It is up to Tyrael, as the archangel of justice, protector of the courts, and inheritor of the gavel of judgement to make such calls. My only purpose for this trial is to give my blessings to the whole procedure.”  
  
“And if you don’t?” Aladria asked.  
  
“Then we delay this whole fiasco another week and Tyrael and I will probably argue around in circles,” Imperius drawled, “So even though I don’t like it, I will give my blessings to get this over with. It is up to Malathael to save himself.”

The room lasped into silence then and Imperius could only feel more unease and tension build in his soul.  Even the two mortals seemed tense, Aladria in particular. She was staring ahead, a slight scowl on her lips as she tapped her fingers lightly against the table. The archangel of valor found himself fidgeting some, glancing up at the ticking boggit clock Tevar had put on the wall, watching the second hand click closer towards the inevitable hour of the trial.

“I can’t wait for this whole thing to be over,” Tevar finally said, breaking the silence, “The social media has been nothing but talk about it and all the memes are of Inarius and Malthael in some lawyer game yelling at each other. I need some new bloody content.”

Aladria managed a strained chuckle, “Will be nice to not have to think about or discuss it,” she paused, looking down at her hands, “or feel like I’m walking on eggshells now with Itherael about the whole topic. He is so stressed…I’ve found him just sitting in front of the computer staring off at nothing and….he’s been breaking down more in private,” she looked away, worrying her lip, “I’m concerned for him. This trial…he says it is just like how things were just before he was locked away.”

“It will pass. All storms and all battles pass. Let us just pray to Anu that it passes in the way we wish and no harm comes to anyone,” Imperius murmured.

Tevar lifted his mug, “Here is to hoping this thing blows over like an over-hyped new show and leaves everyone feeling disappointed about the buildup.”

“I would drink to that if I could have coffee…” Aladria grumbled, looking longingly at the mug in Tevar’s hand.  
  
Tevar glanced over at her, arching an eyebrow, “Giving it up or something?”

 

“Doctor said no caffeine for a while it isn’t well…” she looked meaningful at Tevar, on hand falling over her stomach.

Imperius tilted his head at the gesture, not understanding what she meant, but realization dawned on Tevar’s face and his eyes widened before he was grinning wide, “…oh later we are going to have words my dear.” He said, voice amused, “So many words about what you and Itherael have been up to.”

The archangel of valor looked between the two before giving a shake of his head and rising to his feet, leaving his mug of coffee half drained, “I will see you two later, after all of this is finally over.”

“Hopefully we will be gathering for a victory party when this turns out all right,” Tevar said with a smile.  
  
Aladria offered one of her own, although it was strained. The worry and concern was clear in her tired eyes as her gaze dropped back to her hands. 

That sentiment, more than Tevar’s hopeful comments, resonated with the apprehension in Imperius’s own soul. He offered a final silent not to both the mortals before turning on his heels and leaving the kitchen to head towards the war room to check and see how the early morning preparations were proceeding.

He did not teleport there, allowing himself a few moments to get his thoughts in order. His hands were uncharacteristically clasped tight behind his back and his tail was making broad, antsy sweeps across the floor, speaking volumes of the tension that was roaring in his core. Yet is any mortal unfamiliar with his typical body language were to see him, they might simply wonder if he was agitated or briskly making his way to some other business and felt nothing within his core but a stubborn courage to get everything done.   
  
Perhaps that lack of ability to read such subtle body language was why so many mortals had concepts that his kind were incapable of any emotions beyond their aspect. That idly thought was pushed aside as he came to the wide open doors of the war room.   
  
Imperius had to pause, given the large crowd of angels coming and going into the room. It was bustling with activity, although the emotions singing out in the resonances spoke of nervousness, a general discontent, as well as small glimmers of anticipation and curiosity of how this would all play out.

At the center of the whirlwind of activity was Ignaceus, dutifully directing everyone to their post or to where they would be seated for the trial. Angels of every host were gathered from the bright golden-clad angels of valor to the graceful angels of hope. Even the angels of wisdom had come as Imperius spied Oreliphus creeping along the edges, arms crossed and wings drawn close to her body. There was also a murmuring hissing sound of rasping wings below the general sound of the crowd moving about that indicating the darker angels were just as agitated as the rest of Heaven over this.   
  
Imperius moved towards Ignaceus, the crowd parting before him seamlessly without him having to say a word as he came up beside his lieutenant, giving a glance about, “Anything to report?”  
  
“So far, everything is going as planned,” Ignaceus responded, glancing to Imperius, “We should have everyone seated and all guards in place within the hour baring any sudden emergency. I just need to dispatch the luminarei to fetch Malthael once things start to die down.”  
  
“No need.” Imperius’s wings flared a bit as he looked in the direction of the great prison of Heaven, “I’ll see to his escort personally. I want as few angels interacting or making comment as possible.”

It wasn’t that Imperius didn’t trust his host to deliver the reaper there unmolested, but more he didn’t want any distractions, any comments that would draw Malthael’s thoughts away from the event at hand. The former archangel of wisdom was always cool, calm, collective, and his mind several thoughts ahead, but the archangel of valor knew his friend well. It did not take a lot to somewhat derail his train of thought and once he was off task, Malthael could often act from a standpoint of irrational irritation than collected thoughts.

With everything already on the line as it is, Imperius would do all he could to avoid any disadvantage to the accused reaper.   
  
“Very well sir,” Ignaceus said briskly, “Then I’ll have them re-routed to aid with keeping the perimeter of the grand court secure and preventing any sort of riot….”

“…Do you expect it will come to that?”

Ignaceus gave a shrug, glancing at Imperius, “I am ready to expect anything.” He admitted, “This is an event that hasn’t taken place in Heaven since before our time at the trial of the archangel of retribution where his host tried to slay queen Galuriel just moments before his court date.”

Imperius gave nod, wincing just a bit, “Let us hope that such reckless loyalty won’t take place today.”

“If it does-“  
  
“If it does, work to contain it and try not to harm those involved. I will speak to all those who want to cause trouble at such a delicate time and doom Malthael further personally.” Imperius growled, turning on his heels, “I’ll leave you to your work lieutenant.”   
  
“As you order sir.” Ignaceus paused, wings pulling in tight, “And may hope guide this trial to the conclusion you wish for, my lord.”

Imperius paused, glancing back at his lieutenant. Ignaceus had always been careful with his words and been careful about voicing his personal opinions. Yet in that single statement and the slight murmur of his resonance, Imperius felt a glimmer of hope once more.

He gave a nod to Ignaceus in thanks, acknowledging his words.

It confirmed for Imperius at least that at least one other angel felt mercy was a better cause than execution when it came to Malthael’s situation. It was at least one ally.

 

The archangel of valor turned away, leaving behind the war room as he teleported to the prison to collect Malthael to bring him to the court and then hope beyond hope that some miracle would make itself known.

The prison was more closed in than ever before as Imperius entered it. Even with the single shaft of light that cascaded down, it felt as if a lurking shadow had taken residence within its wall. Each cell he passed on his way to Malthael’s own seemed to leer at him, as if the building had gained a thousand dark eyes in which to look out and the souls of the long incarcerated and slain still echoed out. There was even a more obvious chill in the air that sought to wrap itself around any warmth in the place and snuff it out.

Imperius kept his gaze fixed on the cell of the archangel of wisdom, shoulders hunched and wishing he was just there for a visit and not to escort the other angel to what may be his doom.

  
The archangel of valor slowed his pace as approached the doors of the cell, raising a knuckle to wrap lightly against the bars to get the attention of the figure within.   
  
“It is time.”  
  
“Already?”  
  
Malthael’s looked up from where he sat on the floor, his posture one of meditation. Imperius felt a pang in his core at the sight, more given how long it had actually been since he had seen Malthael take up meditation. The last time had been the day Magtherius had fallen, when he had sat alone in the empty halls of his mentor. After that day, the former archangel of wisdom had grown more distant, more cold. He withdrew within himself for so long, becoming so secretive and prone to seek little the opinion of the council as the older archangels fell one by one.

To see him meditate again was a reminder of how he once was, before he had changed so much.  
  
The archangel of valor glanced way, wings tensing, “Yes. I’ve come to escort you personally there.”

Malthael nodded, slowly starting to rise to his feet, “Then we shouldn’t keep everyone waiting.”  
  
Imperius didn’t say a word as he opened the cell door and moved to unhook the length of chain from the wall and into his own hands to lead the prisoner out. There didn’t seem anything to say or perhaps, too much to say. There never seemed to be enough time anymore. The archangel of valor had to merely give a small tug to get the former archangel of wisdom moving, the two ascending the stairs and into the proper light of Heaven. The guards had already left, dispatched to their assignment at the court.  

The empty spires about them as they walked felt almost oppressive and the air so still, as if the constant breeze now was holding its breath. The arch itself was even silent, as if all the tension of Heaven had started to waver within its core or perhaps it too, in its own way, was watching this trial and seeing what outcome would be declared. Imperius walked alongside Malthael upon worn paths they once walked together while discussing strategies in the past, back when Heaven was at its full glory.   
  
They passed familiar buildings where once they had learned together, the classrooms now vacant and devoid of the usual booming lecture and muffled giggles of fledglings trading notes. There were no fledglings in Heaven, only the specters of his own childhood, shared with the dark angel beside him.

He could even spy, just along the edge of one of the school buildings they passed, the tiny scratches of graffiti he had left there long ago with Auriel when they had taken to “decorating” walls with murals of battle between classes, much to the chagrin of their elders.

All of it felt so bittersweet now. There were so many fond memories that contrasted with the grim event they were not heading towards.  Soon the schools and the various spires that made up the heart of Heaven lay behind them as they approached the courts. The silence was broken now by soft murmurs that slowly began to grow in volume as they drew closer to the grand court that lay at the center of the realm of justice. With each step, the past memories were pushed further back, replaced with the impeding present that loomed before them.

By the time Imperius and Malthael arrived at the mouth of the long hall that led to the floor of the court, the sound ahead was a continuous rumbling thunder, as if the storm ahead was striking lighting continuously against the ground with all its fury. Imperius paused for a moment, wings drawn so close to his back they were nearly invisible and his tail had curled in as well, going still.  At last, the vicious day lay before him and there was nothing to do now but go forward, even if everything in his being wished to retreat back, thousands of years, to when all had been well.   
  
Imperius steeled his will taking a deept breath before forcing himself to step forward. He expected Malthael to follow him yet after a few steps, he nearly overbalanced as the taunt when suddenly taunt, causing him to look back.  
  
The reaper of Westmarch stood firm, his form braced and hands lifted just enough to reduce the drag of the chain. His wings were pulled in close and his gaze on the ground, his entire body language speaking volumes of how unwilling he was to tread forward. Imperius’s core ached, understanding the sentiment, but knowing there was nothing left but to confront what everyone had been running from for so long.

The day of reckoning had come and it was a battle that had to be met.   
  
Imperius let out a soft sigh as he gave a tug of the chain, “Malthael-“

“I never thanked you, have I Imperius?”  
  
Imperius’s wings flared just a bit as he cocked his head at Malthael, “What?”  
  
“I never thanked you,” Malthael repeated, gaze dropping to the ground, “in all these years you’ve stood by my side and how even now, when the obviousness of my guilt stares you in the face, you still believe in me. I never…thanked you for that.”

Imperius glanced away, hands curling about the chain he held, “You do not need to thank me Malthael. I am doing simply what any friend would do for another. Despite what you did, you are still my brother. Millions of years have not changed that.”

Malthael looked down at his bound hands, letting them curl into fists,”I still want to thank you, before it is too late.” He said softly, “This trial may change your opinion about me.”

“I already know of your crimes, and I know of your attempts to redeem yourself,” Imperius responded quietly.

“…but you don’t know the reasons why.” Malthael said softly, “And if you do…would you still see me as worth being saved?”  
  
Imperius glanced back at him. Malthael looked so tense and like he had when they were mere fledglings, so uncertain about where he stood or even who he was. He appeared so fragile in that moment, a reminder that beneath the crimes, there had been an angel, been a soul that no one had bothered to try and help or guide when he had needed it the most.

“You are worth being saved, brother. I do not know what evil plagues your soul to make you doubt that, but you are born of the arch, you have an incredible capacity to do good and make up for the ugliness of your past. You can change.”  
  
Malthael didn’t look up from his hands. He remained silent, his wings pulled to his body and his posture slumped just a bit, as if something else, other than the weight of his bindings had settled upon his shoulders. After a moment he raised his head, gazed fixed ahead on the bright light at the end of the hallway where the roar of the crowd had only grown as the solemn bells declaring the time started to sound out.   
  
“It is time Malthael.” Imperius said quietly, “We need to go.”

The former archangel remained silent for a moment more before giving a small nod, “Of course.”

Malthael’s posture straightened, the moment of weakness once more hidden beneath the calm façade he had spent thousands of years crafting as he fell into step behind Imperius. At the end of the hall, they entered into a small antechamber, the far wall opening to the wide open court beyond. Two guards stepped up to relieve Imperius of Malthael’s chain, dropping their heads in a respectful bow as the archangel of valor gave them a passing nod.   
  
“Ah, so you did show up,” a voice drawled, “I half expected you to try and run.”  
  
Imperius glanced to the side where Inarius stood, hands clasped behind his back beside Itherael. The latter remained silent, his gaze fixed out at the crowd beyond the doorway that led to the center of the grand court. Across the way, the chairs were set up for the council to sit and Tyrael was already there, waiting for for Imperius to step into his line of sight to signal he was ready to begin.  
  
Malthael didn’t say a word in response to Inarius, merely cocking his head, wings flaring just a bit in a gesture of challenge. It was a move that only had Inarius chuckling before looking in the same direction of Itherael, “It will be a pleasure to prove your guilt after all these millennium, Malthael. A pleasure indeed.”  
  
Imperius fetl a stab of concern murmur in his core at Inarius’s words, but he held his tongue as he stepped away from Malthael and the other members of their miserable council to stand at the entrance. He spread his wings wide and allowed them to give a small flick. The gesture caught Tyrael’s attention and Imperius saw the archangel of justice give a small nod of acknowledgement before he rose to his feet and brought the gavel down hard, the sound resounding through the courtroom.

The effect was immediate. The murmuring roar of the crowd was quickly brought to a small whisper as all eyes turned to where Tyrael stood.   
  
“All rise for his lordship Imperius, leader of the Angiris counsel and the sixty-fifth ruler of Heaven and keeper of the high throne.” Tyrael declared.

 

As soon as he was introduced, Imperius entered the room, gazed fixed ahead on the throne that would become his seat and more than aware of hundreds of eyes boring into him as he moved. There was a brief rumble of noise as the assembled angels rose to their feet, but the room remained silent, the tension and anticipation now building as the pre-trial began to unfold.   
  
Imperius climbed the stairs to the highest dais set against the far wall to the large golden throne that loomed above all else in the court. The archangel of valor turned, letting his gaze fall over the crowd of angels, of all the hosts gathered to witness this historic trial before finally taking his own seat.

 

Tyrael gave a nod and struck the gavel again, “All may be seated.”

 

The room once more rumbled with noise as those gathered took their seats again. Tyrael remained poised, giving a glance about at the crowd as he waited for them to settle before addressing the crowd once more.

 

“Today we gather to witness the trial of one accused of treason and contempt for the throne and laws of Heaven. These are allegations which call for the highest court to be assembled,” Tyrael began, the words coming out powerful enough, but with the mechanical practice of a statement repeated and committed to memory, “Lord Imperius sits upon the throne and shall act as the judge whom will keep the peace of this courtroom and ensure there is no interference in our search for justice.”  
  
Tyrael turned towards Imperius then and gave a bow of his head, “Does the crown of Heaven accept the duty of their position?”  
  
Imperius gave a nod, sitting up a bit more, “I, Lord Imperius, archangel of valor, who leads both counsel and Heaven in all matters, accept this duty and will ensure none shall interrupt, or they too shall stand trial for contempt. This is my decree.”

  
“And do we have your blessings, my lord, to proceed?” Tyrael asked.

 

“I give my blessings to the proceedings of this court and acknowledge the archangel Tyrael as the master of ceremony for the trial.” Imperius responded. “And it is with him I entrust that the truth shall be discovered.”

 

Tyrael gave another bow of his head, “I accept the role with great humility and thus granted this role, I humble put forth my requests for who shall serve as eyes and mouth of this trial.”

 

 

 The archangel of justice turned back to the courts, slamming the gavel again, “As master of ceremony, I now present the sentinel and inquisitor to stand and to present themselves before our king.”

 

Itherael entered into the room then, coming to the center of the room. Imperius could see how tense the archangel of fate was, how his wings were a dim, lethargic glow pulled to his back as he dipped his head in a bow, “I, Itherael, archangel of fate, stand ready to perform the duties of the sentinel of the court,” he said quietly.

Inarius entered next, stepping up beside Itherael and bowing his head as well although with more a flourish. Imperius felt his nerves spike at just how relaxed Inarius seemed, as if this were some casual affair and not some momentous event.

 

 “I, Inarius, advisor and member of the council, stands ready to perform the duties of the inquisitor of the court.”

 

Imperius was silent for a moment, tense before he reluctantly nodded, “Itherael and Inarius, I accept you as the eyes and mouth of Heaven’s law respectively and give you my blessings to bring to justice the accused or to acquit them of their guilt.” 

 

Both bowed before moving to take their seats, Itherael taking his seat beside Tyrael and Inarius taking his just below them. He sat down slowly, although his posture was leaned forward as if he was almost eager for what was to come. It reminded Imperius of a valor angel right before the glory of battle, all but aching to leap forward and rip apart all those in his way.

 

“Will the accused now be brought forward?” Tyrael said, bringing the gavel down once more. 

A murmur ran through the crowd, the most noise so far in the trial proceedings. Imperius could see many in the crowd leaning forward as all eyes turned to the entryway of the court. They did not have to wait long.

 

Two guards entered in, each holding a chain securely and keeping Malthael between them. Similar to Inarius, The former archangel of wisdom was calm, each step carefully made, and he held himself with the dignity of one who was untroubled by what was transpiring around him.

  
He put up no fight or fuss as he was led to the center of the room. There the guards went about securing his chains to large hooks in the floor that would keep him in place during the trial before they bowed their heads and retreated back to the entrance.   
  
The crowd had fallen silent as Tyrael straightened up, wings spreading, staring Malthael down with a tremor of uncertainty and anger within his resonance.  
  
“Malthael,  you stand before this court, accused of High treason and charges of murder against heaven, genocide against Sanctuary, and conspiracy against the laws and will of the council of Heaven,” He began, “How do you plea?”  
  
“Not Guilty.” Malthael responded coolly.  
  
Tyrael brought the gavel down preemptively to keep the murmur of the crowd to nothing but a soft whisper, “Let it be recorded and known, the accused claims his innocence in the matter. As such, the inquisitor may now begin to cross-examine the plea of the accused to determine for the council if he is to be acquitted of his crimes or if there is reason to believe he should be sentenced to death.”

 

Inarius did not miss a beat as he rose to his feet, hands already clasped behind his back as he moved forward. His pace was measured and slow, more akin to some starving predator carefully moving in to inspect its prey. He didn’t speak right away, eyeing Malthael up as the crowds murmuring died down. Once the room fell silent, he finally spoke, looking about the gathered angels.   
  
“It is more traditional for all of us to believe that there is at least an inkling of a doubt that the accused may be innocent. However, this trial, regrettably, is anything but tradition,” Inarius began, spreading his hands out as he addressed the crowd, his voice perfectly pitched like that of a trained actor before an adoring  crowd. “I this trial, there is far too much evidence of the accused’s monstrous nature. Not only do many of you personally have testimony that could be given against him and his attack against Sanctuary and Heaven, but so many have been the victims of his insidious plot. However, if the court needs further proof that the accused is guilty, then by all means, I will provide guidance in discovering the truth,” He gave a bow of his head to the crowd, “And I will prove even further, that his crimes are worthy of the highest punishment of Heaven.”

 

The room was silent and Imperius could feel the excitement in the air, that tension ready to break that Inarius, with his words, was only serving to fan hi. Hgher. The former prisoner of Hell spoke elegantly, each word perfectly pronounced and drawn out where need be to capture the hearts and minds of those that listened. It was the same persona that hd been able to convince not only angels, but demons of Hell to join him in his rebellion and help create Sanctuary.

 

It was moments like this that Imperius was reminded of how Inarius had a charisma that was on par with that of his sire, Magtherius.

 

Despite the elegant speech though, Malthael remained standing, still relaxed, his gaze fixed on Inarius, watching his every move but he did not speak. Most likely he took very little note of what Inarius was even saying or at least, only hanging onto what he deemed important to use later.   
  
Inarius turned on his heels after he allowed a moment for his words to sink in, turning towards Malthael, “Let us start with a fairly easy line of inquiry to see if you are so delusional that you have no memory of the crime everyone here no doubt recalls,” he began brusquely, “Did you, or did you not corrupt your own host and lead them in a mad genocide upon Sanctuary?”  
  
“I led them on a misguided attack on Sanctuary with the intent of eliminating the corruption of demons and ending the conflict,” Malthael responded, his tone cold and without inflection, “My host did not have to follow me. It was an option offered and I would like to add, none were corrupted. The angels of wisdom have always been different, in form and soul. To say they were corrupted would be to imply somehow, even before my own birth, I’ve been changing their very cores.”  
  
“Yet they have never taken the souls of mortal,s or angels for that matte,r until you came along,” Inarius retorted without missing a beat, “You repurposed the soul crucibles to capture the souls of mortals.”  
  
“The soul crucibles capture the souls of demon. It has been used to capture the souls of corrupted angels as well in an attempt to have them reborn at the arch. They were not repurposed, simply serving the purpose intended,” Malthael cocked his head to the side, “And as I said before, it was a misguided attack in an effort to end the great conflict and as I recalled, Heaven did not step in to stop me. If my attack was truly an affront to Heaven, I have little doubt the council would have dispatched their armies against me.”

  
“You attacked the sanctity of Heaven and did earn their rebuke.”   
  
“And an executioner was dispatched to kill me,” Malthael’s wings flicked some, a sibilant hiss rising from them, “All here know that the nephelem was sent to kill me and succeed-“

 

“Did they? You seem to be in one piece now,” Inarius interrupted, “How did you return?”  
  
“The souls of the slain mortals made sure I would not rest in peace or be reborn, reforming my essence after tearing me apart to ensure they would keep me bound and it is there I would still be if not for the nephelem destroying Pandemonium and weakening the arch itself,” Malthael answered, his tone clipped and to the point, “I then spent the remainder of the time living among the mortals without incident. You can see their own history, there was no genocides nor anything that would be connected to my past crimes. I will admit my actions in the past were wrong, born of a way of thinking that was common to our people, and if that it is a crime to be punished, then why am I the only one standing before the council on trial?” 

“What you did is still a crime that demands punishment.”   
  
“And I served the sentence that was granted me by those I wronged the most,” Malthael retorted, barely raising his voice, “And I was sentenced to death once already. Does this court truly wish to waste their time with sentencing me again for a crime that has already been punished?”

  
The crowd was murmuring and Imperius could feel there were opinions being challenged and an uncertainty starting to build. Even Itherael and Tyrael seemed to have a misgiving to their resonance as the former archangel of wisdom spoke.   
  
Inarius was a great orator, but Malthael had his own way of speaking that could hold attention just as well. A cold commanding presence that demanded a measure of respect and a sense of logic that did not bloat itself with unnecessary facts and as ever, honest.

 

All of this should have given Imperius hope however, there was one small detail of the room that had him on edge.   
  
Inarius was far too calm.

 

The former prisoner of Hell didn’t even seem concerned by the changing moods of the crowd and in fact, he almost seemed to welcome it, allowing the crowd to murmur for a few moments before lifting his voice. It was only when everyone had quitted again that he spoke again, start to circle Malthael clearly far more eager for whatever he had planned. 

“I seemed to have under-estimated just how well you craft your answers,” he began, sounding almost complimentary, “I suppose you even have good reason for ordering the death of your own kin during your mad attack on Sanctuary?”   
  
“The order was to destroy the portal to Pandemonium before the Nephelem could reach it,” Malthael answered solemnly, “It was not meant to be directed at Heaven and if it did come to a fight, it was to be as few casualties as possible….I suppose I underestimated  the loyalty of some in Heaven to Tyrael’s ideals but I did not mean for there to be deaths and if you need proof of that, speak to Tyrael yourself, Inquisitor. I did not kill him. I did not mean for any of our kin to suffer.”  
  
Inarius gave a nod as if he had expected the answer, “Ah, orders relayed and not carried out correctly and indeed, from the reports, the number killed was but a few at most and only done after they attacked the reapers first” he paused then, his wings flaring some and Imperius felt his soul sink as he felt the strong, unbidden, predatory thrill that surged through Inarius as he stepped closer to Malthael.   
  
“It would be very different though, of course, if there was some incident where you raised your weapons personally to slay those of Heaven, far more than a handful.” He said, raising his voice, “If you had done this before, it would weaken your credible in terms of wanting to spare angels in your mad schemes.”   
  
The reaction from Malthael was instant. He tensed up, wings drawing close, as if Inarius had struck him. There was no quiver of rage, no hissing. There was nothing but absolute silence from the reaper as the crowd broke into a sudden murmur and Imperius felt his unease grow. His hands curled against the arms of the throne as Inarius straightened himself up, turning towards Tyrael.   
  
“Master of the court, I wish to put forth an additional accusation that mirrors the attack against Sanctuary as proof of the accused’s madness and murderous tendencies towards his fellow angels. That his lack of care for the lives of others is an inherent flaw that has been repeated.” Inarius declared, wings flaring.  
  
The whole room erupted into noisy conversation and Imperius could feel a sudden surge of resonances rise in both confusion and curiosity at the bold claim by Inarius. Tyrael was quick to bring his gavel down, looking about the room, “Order!” he barked, waiting for the crowd to quiet down.

 

All the while, Inarius stood talk, hands clasped behind his back and radiate confidence as his brother turned to address him, “What accusation do you wish to bring against the accused to strengthen your declaration for a death sentence?”

 

Inarius was probably holding back a chuckle as he straightened himself up to speak again, drawing out each word as if it was the sweetest wine he had ever tasted, “The accusation I wish to put forth is that the accused that stands before you, the former archangel of Wisdom and the former keeper of the throne, is  the one solely responsible for the slaughter at the Hold of Redemption” Inarius declared, turning to point a finger at Malthael, his voice swelling with a practiced, believable anger, “That he is the one who murdered what was left of the Kyritim in cold blood, and all these years he has been working to cover up the genocide he committed as part of a larger conspiracy to escalate the eternal conflict!”

 

This time the crowd exploded into loud cries, some of alarm and others of anger and even Imperius himself sat up, wings spreading in alarm and his tail clanging against the legs of the throne in surprise.  
  
The accusation was a serious offense, one that would warrant a death penalty if it was found to be true, yet at the same time, there was little evidence to convict Malthael on. The event had happened long ago and there had only been a handful of angels, all passed on, that saw the slaughter first hand and reported upon it.  Imperius himself had heard only second hand what had happened from his mentor, the former archangel of victory, Tyranius.

 

There had only been two survivors to the whole thing, a twisted angel known as Bulnthael who had been away in the fields of Pandemonium during the time and one eye witness whom had vanished soon after. The former had known nothing of the attack and had spent his time trying to come to terms with losing his entire tribe, right until he had defected alongside Inarius and been part of the group that had stolen the worldstone to create Sanctuary.

 

Had the twisted angel known something that he had passed to Inarius or perhaps…Inarius had known something all along that had been the fuel for the defection of the last kyritim?

 

 

“Order!” Tyrael roared, wings flaring as he all but had to shout to be heard over the din, “We will have order!”   
  
The crowd quickly quieted down as Tyrael looked down on his brother. His resonance was uncertain and his wings danced about in a clear sign that even he was highly skeptical of the claim. That meant that Inarius had kept his own brother out of the loop which only made Imperius more uneasy about this surprise twist in the trial.   
  
“This is indeed a heavy accusation to bring into this trial, Inarius,” Tyrael began slowly, “And there is no evidence to support if it is true or not. Without that evidence, I’m afraid this accusation cannot be allowed.”  
  
“I can prove it is true with but a single question,” Inarius responded with a bow of his head, “All I ask is that I’m given permission to ask that question and prove my accusation. If it is unfounded, then we may head straight to vote on what is to be his fate, no protests. I will yield.”  
  
Tyrael was silent for a long moment, wings twitching as he glanced up at the crowd and then to Malthael who had remained rigid, staring straight ahead. The archangel of justice looked down before giving a small nod, “The court will grant the inquisitor the chance to pose his question to allow him the chance to prove that his claim is true.”  He said at length, “If only to dismiss any doubt on the matter.”  
  
Imperius was tense, feeling like his entire soul was twisting upon itself with the nerves building up inside. His wings were burning more furiously, sparking out as he leaned forward some, as Inarius gave a bow to his brother before turning towards Malthael, “Thank you. I assure you, you will see for yourself the truth of this matter and will have your evidence.”  
  
The room was silent and every soul, every resonance, burned with emotion, creating a humming din that was felt to every corner of Imperius’s being. Even the corruption in his soul seemed to be holding its breath, no longer writhing.   
  
Inarius basked in that tension, in that moment like he was already savoring a sweet victory. His posture was relaxed, wings spread gloriously and head held aloft, no doubt drinking in all the dissonance he had created and how the past weeks had all led up to this single moment.   
  
Inarius lowered his head once more, his attention now fixed on Malthael as he leaned forward, almost eagerly as he approached the accused, “My question is simple,” He began, “We all know the reputation of the former archangel of wisdom: he tells no lies. Thus, I merely need to pose a direct question concerning the matter.”   
  
He paused, mere inches from Malthael, his tone almost innocent like that of a fledgling as he utter a single, simple, question.  
  
“Was it you who  killed the residents of the Hold of Redemption six months after the death of Magtherius?”

 

It was so quiet, one could have heard a pin drop halfway across Heaven. Malthael didn’t speak for a long time, his gaze fixed on the floor. Imperius was all but trembling, his entire soul praying that the answer to the question would be no and that all of this was some unfound game, some wild attempt on Inarius’s part to prove him guilty of some earlier crime to strengthen the case against Malthael. He desperately wanted it all to be nothing more than a final, desperate call for attention, not a trump card that Inarius had been holding on for millennium to use when the opportunity was perfect.

 

Malthael lifted his head slowly. The entirety of the room seemed to be holding its breath. Every resonance was silent. All eyes were fixed upon the dark angel that stood at the center of the court.

 

The former archangel looked back down, wings pulled tight to his back.  
  
“Yes.”   
  
The answer was a single, quiet word that held all the power of a single, devastating strike as it reverberated through the court like rolling thunder. The silent was broken by cries of outrages and the shock and alarm that ran through the crowds of angels was a crushing wave of emotions. Imperius felt his entire soul seize as he sunk back, speechless at the admittance, unable to find his own voice to protest the admittance of guilt.

 

The slaughter at the Hold of Redemption had sparked the eternal conflict into a larger fervor leading to the largest, most serious battles against Hell that lasted millennium. There had been no reason to suspect it was anyone else but Hell who had committed the slaughter. There were slain demons, even rumors of slain abominations, among those found. There was no proof anyone angelic had committed the crime.

  
But Malthael didn’t lie. He always spoke the truth.

 

And he had given his answer to the court, all but condemning himself.

 

Inarius seemed to be soaking in the chaos of the room, looking expectantly to his brother. Tyrael wasn’t as quick to call order this time, the shock radiating in his soul as he stood there, struck dumbfounded before hastily starting to slam the gavel down. It took more than a few tries to get the room to quiet down for the trial to even proceed, yet the anger and hatred burning in the room had Imperius hiding a wince, one hand rising to his chest.   
  
The mood of the room had changed once more, a new wave of hostility building up and directed at the accused who had admitted to one of the most horrid slaughters of Heaven’s history.

 

“Malthael, you do realize what consequences this brings.I” Tyrael finally said, voice quavering, “If you are confessing to this accusation, we will have no choice but to pursue Inarius’s inquisition. Does your confession still stand?”  
  
“Yes.” Responded without hesitation.

  
Tyrael stared at him silently for a moment before looking away, bringing the gavel down,“then as the master of ceremony, I declare that accusation Inarius makes stands and he is free to continue his inquisition of the accused.”  
  
Imperius was trembling, his resonance burning with confusion, with anger, with a sense of intense betrayal and at the same time, a sense of horror and devastation. He didn’t know what to think, what to even believe about Malthael’s own innocence as Inarius stepped forward, practically swaggering as he circled the reaper of Westmarch.  
  
“So now that I have permission to bring this whole even to light, tell me, why did the kyritim at the Hold of Redemption deserve to be slaughtered?”   
  
“They didn’t deserve to be slaughter,“ Malthael responded, his voice lacking its usual strength, “It was-“  
  
“They did nothing? And yet you still killed them?” Inarius interrupted, raising his voice, “Did they offend you or perhaps did they know something you wanted to keep secret?”  
  
“It was a mistake,” Malthael snapped, “I did not know-“  
  
“Know what?” Inarius demanded, arms crossed, “What could you possibly not know that leads to you accidentally killing angels!?”

 

“I did not know there were demons already there!”  
  
Malthael’s response was rushed, the barest hint of his composure starting to come apart under Inarius’s more aggressive line of questioning. What was more telling was how the former archangel seemed to draw back in alarm, realizing what he had said.  
  
“Demons already at the hold? Care to explain?” Inarius drawled, “Where demons truly involved with the slaughter at the hold?”  
  
Malthael was tense, his gaze dropping to the ground as he clenched his hands, “There is nothing to explain. I… did not mean for it to happen. I do not even remembering committing the act…” he trailed off, head lowered as if he struggled to try and recall the details of the event, “I just remember standing in the aftermath of it.”  
  
“How convenient that you don’t remember the details, but you are avoiding the question Malthael.” Inarius sneered. “What demons already at the hold?”  
  
The former archangel did not speak, holding his silence as he looked away. Inarius’s wings flared as he stepped closer, raising his voice, “Answer the question! If you are truly innocent of this crime, then you have no reason to not speak freely of why you claim there were demons there, unless of course, there is some secret you are protecting or perhaps someone you are trying to protect.”  
  
Malthael listed his head, wings rasping against one another as he stared Inarius down and for the first time, Inarius’s own composure seemed to slip in the face of Malthael’s sudden refusal to speak, “Well? Out with it! Explain what really happened! Why are you innocent!?” Inarius demanded, nearly shouting at the reaper of Westmarch.

  
Malthael’s shoulders tensed as he kept his gaze fixed on Inarius before finally speaking, his words dripping with contempt and unabashed malice, “I invoke the right to silence and will not cooperate further with the inquisitor’s questioning.”  
  
The court began to murmur and Imperius could barely believe what he had heard. In refusing to answer Inarius’s questions and invoking his right to silence was all but conceding to Inarius.

 

Malthael was letting Inarius win and in turn, condemning himself to keep whatever damning secret he held locked within.

 

Tyrael slammed his gavel, wings pulled close to his back, “Malthael, do you understand-“  
  
“I understand completely what this means,” The reaper interrupted, his voice cold, “Let the trial proceed as necessary.”  
  
The archangel of justice’s wings flicked back as he slammed his gavel down, looking away again, “The inquisition may yield. The accused’s right to silence will be honored and no further evidence can be brought forward.”   
  
Inarius turned on his heels, striding back to take his seat more than pleased with himself. Tyrael's wings flicked back and forth as he lifted his head to look about the crowd, “This court has heard the details of the accusations and the evidence put forth. By the laws of Heaven, the accused is guilty, by admittance of accusations brought forth. With this in mind, the council shall vote on the nature on his setnece, whether this is a capital offense deserving of execution, or of incarceration.”

 

Tyrael turned towards Imperius, giving a bow, “Do we have your blessings to proceed?”  
  
Imperius only nodded mutely, still unable to find his voice as the entire situation began to sink in and trying to wrap his mind over all that had transpired in only a few short moments.

 

Tyrael returned the nod, turning back around towards the crowd. He looked down at the stand before him before he looked up, silently looking over the crowd before speaking, “I, Tyrael, the master of ceremony and archangel of justice, abstain from casting vote. The evidence put forth is not enough for me to pass judgement.”

 

Imperius jumped, looking to Tyrael, wings flaring. An abstained vote was not expected. Something was troubling the archangel enough to not be able to condemn Malthael or not. That though, was not good news for Malthael if the other two did cast vote.   
  
“Sentinel of the court, what is your vote upon the sentence of the accused?”  
  
All attention now turned to Itherael who sat rigidly, his hands gripping his knees tight. The distress washing over him was strong, mixed with conflicting feelings and fear. Still he slowly rose to his feet, his entire form trembling. He took a brief moment to compose himself, both hands gripping the stand in front of him.  The fear and nerves coming off him was intense and Imperius could tell the entire situation was causing him significant distress.   
  
“I, Itherael, abstain from casting vote as well.” He managed out, “On account of personal bias.”   
  
With that, Imperius’s soul sunk, knowing there was but one vote left and there was little doubt about what the inquisitor’s answer would be to all of this. Inarius was moving to rise to his feet as Tyrael spoke, the archangel of justice’s gaze fixed to the gavel he held, unable to look up.   
  
“Inquisitor of the court, what is your vote upon the sentence of the accused?”

  
“I vote that this decision cannot be determined by the council.” Inarius responded causing both Itherael and Tyrael to look at him sharply, “I put forth the motion for the deadlock to be broken by a vote of the hosts, as outlined in our laws. Let Heaven itself, who has born witness to this trial, determine his fate. The vote of one angel should not determine the fate of the accused.”

 

There was another murmur through the court and Imperius was once more taken aback. It was not a move he expected. It almost felt like Inarius wanted to make a point and to make sure there was little doubt the completeness of his victory. None could blame him for the execution if he was not the one to cast the final ballot. However, it also was a chance for Malthael to escape his execution, should Heaven vote in his favor.

 

Imperius was aware of all eyes falling on him as Tyrael turned towards him, his voice shaking slightly, “Lord Imperius, as master of ceremony, I ask, will you allow this motion to pass and for the vote to be held outside the council?”

 

He would have to give his permission given that this was taking a matter beyond the hands of the archangels of the council. If he said no, Inarius would be forced to cast his vote and Malthael’s fate was more than assured. If he said yes though, there was still a chance…

 

Imperius’s grip tensed on the throne before he rose to his feet, “The vote may proceed to the hosts.” He declared, “Let each captain of their flight tally the vote of their kin and report it to the leader of the host who then may report the result to the archangel who oversees their host.”    
  
The command had barely been given before the entire room broke into a chaotic flurry of activity. Angels had begun to move about, seeking out their leaders who in turn were moving to situate themselves to better tally the vote. Imperius was tense, his gaze already trying to search Ignaceus out in the crowd knowing it was to him the host of valor would gravitate towards. He spotted the luminerai gathering about Ira and there seemed to be heated discussion in their rank as more than a few pairs of wings were flaring in agitation. Ignaceus though was lost to sight, no doubt practically being mobbed by the sudden movement of the host of valor wanting to make their opinion known.

 

The minutes ticked by, only serving to put Imperius more on edge as he waited for the votes to be passed to him to declare.

 

The first to break from the mass was Oreliphus, the speaker of the host of wisdom. She didn’t cast a glance towards her former leader as she landed next to Tyrael, leaning in to pass along the decision of the few left within the host of wisdom. Tyrael merely nodded, his posture giving away nothing of the answer he received.  
  
It took longer for another angel, this one from hope, to come to Itherael’s side to murmur the vote to him. The speaker of the host of fate followed a while afterwards, no doubt the scholars taking more time to muse over everything said before coming to a personal decision.    
  
Nearly an hour passed from then before Ignaceus broke away from the crowd to appear at Imperius’s side. His posture was tense and apprehension clear in his resonance as he leaned in close to the archangel of valor.   
  
“Well?” Imperius asked softly.  
  
“Execution.” Ignaceus said simply, voice quiet. “A nearly majority vote.”   
  
Imperius sat there in shock, barely registering Ignaceus turning and leaving once more. The court was buzzing, but going silent as Tyrael rose to his feet.  
  
“Have all hosts casted their votes to be heard?”  
  
“Yes.” Itherael said quietly rising to his feet, “The hosts of Fate and Hope have made their choice clear.”  
  
Imperius sat silently before rising to his feet, trying to keep the anger out of his voice, “The host of valor had made their choice,” he spat.  
  
“Then let the vote be known,” Tyrael began quietly, “The host of wisdom has voted in favor of execution unanimously.”  
  
Imperius felt his soul sink and he could see Malthael’s posture tense at the statement.  What was left of his host clearly held little love for him or perhaps something during the trial had caused them to turn on him. Either or, a unanimous vote meant every single one believed he should receive execution.

 

The archangel of valor felt what hope he held for Malthael to be spared start to fade.

  
“The host of hope and fate have voted in favor of execution.” Ithereael declared softly, “A nearly unanimous decision.”   
  
Imperius looked at Malthael, the former archangel’s gaze locked upon the floor, his form tensed and wings pulled tight against his back. The archangel of valor could not look at him as he spoke.  
  
 “The host of valor has voted for execution.” He murmured, “By a nearly unanimous vote.”   
  
Tyrael’s gavel hit the stand after Imperius spoke. The archangel of justice raised his voice to address the crowd as Malthael only tensed more, a slight tremor to his form. There was no doubt about what verdict was about to be declared.    
  
“The host of Heaven has spoken.” He said, his voice lacking its usual strength, “The accused is condemned and to be executed tomorrow at dawn and his essence banished to the frozen wastes.”

 

The gavel hit again, “This trial is adjourned.”

 

The crowd practically erupted with sudden shouts and conversation and more than a few little fights in the crowds that had the guards rushing to quell the disputes. Itherael was quick to phase away as if he couldn’t get out of the court room fast enough and Tyrael stood, still staring down, wings pulled tight to his back. Inarius seemed the only one pleased with what occurred, looking about at the crowd like a pleased sire looking over fledglings who had performed well in an exam.   
  
All of this Imperius ignored as he rose to his feet, already stalking towards Malthael.  
  
Anger was burning in his soul and he could feel the corruption once more writhe ad he all but ripped the chains out of the floor and grabbed Malthael’s nearest arm in a bruising grip. He spared not even a second to teleport them away from the roar of the crowd  and the staring eyes of all of Heaven, reappearing once more in the grand prison.   
  
Malthael stumbled as they reappeared, only kept upright by the grip on his arm. He turned towards Imperius, as if to speak before he let out a sudden gasp as he was slammed hard up against the wall. The former archangel of wisdom flailed, both hands rising to clutch at the forearm that was slammed into his throat, all but pinning him up against the wall.   
  
Imperius was trying to understand what had happened, trying to understand why Malthael would capitulate when his very life was at stake. The refusal to answer spoke of only more damned secrets that in turn fueled the fury in Imperius’s soul. He was upset and more than anything he wanted to know the truth of this whole twisted matter.

  
He leaned his weight forward, pressing harder against Malthael’s form, enough that hairline cracks had started to form against the armor about Malthael’s throat as the spines of the demonic corruption pressed in.  
  
“Why didn’t you answer his questions!?” Imperius all but roared, “Why didn’t you just explain yourself? What could have possibly been a reason to hold your silence!? Why did you never tell me you…you were responsible!?”

 

Malthael clutched uselessly at Imperius’s forearm, a rattling wheeze in his throat as his wings scrambled useless against the wall, “I told you,” he finally managed, “It was a mistake.”  
  
“What mistake leads to the death of others!?” Imperius snarled, pressing his forearm harder against him, “I trusted you all these years! I believed in you and you…you!”  
  
Malthael managed to pry Imperius’s arm off him, just enough to form his words more clearly, although trickles of angelic blood leaped out of the cracks pressed into his armor.  
  
  
 “I did not…did not know what truths were held about the hold,” he rasped, his grip tightening on Imperius’s arm, “I knew nothing about what was there, only that…that it was Magtherius’s original home. He never told me about it…and when….I …I didn’t know and those who arrived after…”  
  
He inhaled, turning his head away from Imperius, shoulders tensing, “If I were to tell the truth, it would ruin so many other lives and..to save myself I cannot,” he paused, giving a firm shake of his head, “I will not destroy the reputation of those Heaven has seen as heroes.”   
  
Imperius tensed, “What are you even saying?” He demanded, finally stepping away and letting Malthael drop do the ground, clutching at his throat, “You are not making any sense!”  
  
“I do not want to tell you Imperius. I don’t want to... you need to focus on rebuilding Heaven.” Malthael murmured, “Some truths are best just allowed to die. You don’t need to know.”  
  
Imperius shook his head, wings flaring, “I do noeed to know,” he responded quietly,

 

The archangel of valor felt his hands clench, “Please Malthael…please give me a reason to not want to condemn you as well. I need to know. I’m…I’m so sick of being lied to, of being mislead. Whatever this secret is you guard, I need to know.”   
  
He found the anger that had burned so bright starting to bleed out taking a step back as he looked away as Malthael slumped to the ground, “….I just want to understand.”

 

Malthael rubbed at his throat silently, unable to look at the archangel of valor. His wings came to wrap about his shoulders as he pulled his legs more to chest, looking like a fledgling more so than ever before.

 

After a moment he spoke, his voice hoarse, “It will destroy your belief in Heaven, Imperius.”  
  
Imperius let out a dull laugh, “My belief is long shattered. Heaven is already broken.”  
  
Malthael lowered his hand from his throat, looking at the blood on his hand before letting it drop to his side, “Then would it surprise you to know that your own mentor and the previous archangels of the Angiris council conspired to escalate the eternal conflict after Magtherius was dead?”  
  
The archangel of valor tensed, but did not look away, “It would not surprise me, but what does this have to do with your crime?”  
  
“Everything,” Malthael said quietly, gaze fixed on the floor, “Magtherius never spoke of the hold and when I heard mention of it, he told me to never go there. That there was nothing there that I needed to know. For my own sake, I needed to be content.” He let out a broken laugh, “Like a fool though…I did not listen. I wanted to know what was there.”   
  
He curled up a bit tighter, “I went to the Hold after his death. I wanted to know what he was hiding. I entered the hold to find…demons living beside angels. Abominations formed of both, nepehelm….” Malthael’s hand clenched over his chest, “I didn’t know what to think and then that foul demon, he told me…he told me what I was. What secret Magtherius wanted to hide and…then…he wanted me…wanted me to become…”

Malthael’s words trailed off for a moment before he shook his head, “I don’t remember what happened next. I can’t even remember the slaughter. Everything was a blurr. I just remember Tyrainius and the few others there staring at me. I remember being told to never speak of this….” He buried his face against his hands, “And I held my tongue. I did not speak out. I did as I was instructed like I was no ruler of Heaven. I parroted what was asked of me to finally unleash the full might of Heaven against Hell and unravel Magtherius’s attempts at peace.”

 

Imperius felt his entire resonance go cold as he took a step back, “No…you are…you have to be lying… Tyranius…she would…my mentor would never agree to…to just overlook something like this…”  
  
Of all the archangels that the host of valor looked back upon, the shining example of Heaven’s might and prowess in battle had always been the archangel of victory, the mighty Tyranius.  Imperius had been raised by her and the spears she led, the mightiest battalion in Heaven, and he had served without question at her side, eagerly rushing into every battle.  She was a shrewd warlord, one of the best strategists of Heaven, cunning and despite appearance, was well versed in the politics of Heaven.

 

She had been at the Hold that day, just moments after it was reported to have happened by one of the survivors. She had left with only a few to investigate, the survivor leading the way.

 

Imperius wing’s pulled tight to his being as he did not recall ever seeing that survivor again and how they had simply vanished. How it was Bulnthael, who had come after all was said and done, who had been the only survivor and did not know anything.

 

No one but those few there and Malthael would know the truth.

 

The archangel of valor took a step back, his resonance trembling as he tried to wrap his mind around the sudden realization he was coming to, “You mean….”  
  
“The archangels of the council wanted an event to accuse Hell of. I gave them their answer.” Malthael said dully, “And even when they all were taken in the conflict they wanted. I was exactly the …weapon they had envisioned me to be the moment Magtherius brought forth his plans for his greatest creation…..”  
  
The former archangel curled up more, gripping his head, “I could save myself Imperius.  I could speak of all the lies, the horrors that our ancestors created to justify their holiness. I could speak about how all our laws, everything we have built our exsistence around, this entire conflict, had only destroyed Heaven already. Our desire to continue this conflict has been the greatest poison upon us that forgives slaughter and praises it behind closed doors. I could explain how I was created as a weapon, trained and instructed to be single-minded in preserving Heaven….but if I did, I would only be feeding into Inarius’s words and his desire to destroy Heaven and rebuild his own and I cannot silence him this time.”

Imperius stared at Malthael, “Silence him….so…so Inarius knew, even back then he knew and….”

  
“And if he went to trial, he would have told,” Malthael responded softly, “So I pushed to have him handed over to Hell without trial, punished before he could speak. He was already seen as a traitor. It was easy enough to sentence him.”   
  
“All these years, it was just some…” Imperius shook his head, “Why didn’t you…why didn’t you say this in court?”  
  
“Because Imperius, some truths, deserve to be buried. Because destroying all we know would break what unity is left in Heaven, destroy the faith Heaven has and unmake all you have accomplished so far,” Malthael said quietly, “If I must die so that you can re-build a new Heaven, a heaven unbound by the shadows of our sin-covered past…then that is what must happen. My life is not worth the destruction of Heaven. The light cannot be put out by the delusions of our ancestors.”  
  
He looked up at Imperius as he slowly began to rise to his feet, “You are doing now what I couldn’t accomplish, Imperius. I tried to end the cycle. I tried to remove Heaven from the conflict, to be free once more and I failed and committed atrocities, only seeing a means to an end and become just as twisted as our ancestors.”  

 

Imperius started, “….the attack on Sanctuary then…it was…”  
  
“It was to save Heaven,” Malthael said quietly, looking down at the floor, “All paths pointed to the conflict needing to end. That all traces of evil needed to be gone. Tyrael was a fool. Hiding the soulstone, barely holding together and brimming with evil…it would have corrupted Sanctuary. Just like Mephisto’s evil destroyed the Zakarum. Just like Diablo’s taint infected Khanduras.” He glanced up at Imperius, “I had to take it. To repurpose it to take in all evil so it could be destroyed. Without Hell…without Hell we could rebuild Heaven again.”  
  
He shook his head, shoudlers trembling, “I see now I was….I was no better than those I wanted to overcome. No better than our ancestors. Too black and white in my thinking. Too willing to sacrifice so many. I killed everyone in that hold and lived with the guilt and did not learn my lesson about how…fragile life is.”

Imperius felt like the very floor on which he stood on was being ripped away as he shook his head, “You should have said this,” He said quietly, “The past…the past isn’t worth defending, not when it could have saved you.”

  
“Maybe. Maybe I should have revealed this conspiracy and let everyone know the truth,” Malthael laughed bitterly, “But they were heroes Imperius. They are dead and gone and nothing comes of blaming them and it will only cause the dissonance to remain. Rebuild Heaven on what they stood for, not on what they really were.”

 

The archangel of valor shook his head, “It is not worth having you die, Malthael. If anything, to me, it proves that you were more a victim in all of this and who is to say you commited the slaughter? You don’t remember it.”  
  
“Does not matter when the blood is on your hands,” Malthael responded quietly, “And I am complicate in this scheme.”   
  
“And you tried to get away from it!” Imperius growled, “And if you had told us sooner, maybe….maybe together we could have found a way out.”  
  
Malthael chuckled, looking over at Imperius, “You already found a way out brother. You’ve become a far wiser angel than I.”  The former archangel of wisdom, straightened up, his gaze fixed ahead on his cell, “And if you knew what I was, I doubt you would be so kind in your praise.”  
  
“And what are you Malthael?” Imperius asked quietly. “What are you at the end of all things?”  
  
The former archangel of wisdom looked over at Imperius for a moment before letting out a soft laugh, “What am I now? I am myself at last and perhaps, that will be the only release I will have upon my death. I died as the archangel I should have been.” He said softly.  
  
“And is that the archangel of wisdom?” Imperius asked.  
  
Malthael gave a shake of his head, shoulders straightening, “No. I was never meant to be the archangel of wisdom. That was what Heaven wanted me to be,” He said, “I am the archangel of death. I spent a lifetime running from the darkness in my soul, seeing it as something wrong and evil, but now, now I find comfort in it. In what I am.” He raised a hand to touch his chest, his wings easing to droop low, “And this is who Magtherius was hoping I would become. Free at last. Understanding the delicate balance I was supposed to be protecting.”

 

“You can still protect it,” Imperius said quietly, “You can still redeem yourself.”  
  
The former archangel of wisdom shifted forward, entering into his cell, looking about at the books and other items that lay about him, “The sentiment is appreciated Imperius, but not the reality.” He said, not looking towards the archangel of valor, “It is up to you now. You, Tyrael, Itherael and yes, even Inarius. Heaven is being remade. You have something to protect that isn’t just a lifeless relic of a long dead creator. I believe that Heaven will become strong enough once more to push back Hell.”

 

 “Malthael-“  
  
“I only have the rest of this day and a night to collect my final thoughts,” the archangel of death quietly interrupted, “I beseech you Imperius, to give me my final peace to a final meditation.”

 

Imperius stood there, staring at the other angel. Malthael was dark now, his form twisted with the visage of skulls that many believed were a result of his delusions and crimes. Now though, they did not look so out of place, nor so grim.

 

This was what he was meant to be.

 

Imperius looked away, hands clenching, his mind spinning with all that was said, part of him wanting to deny it all and that his heroes were without flaws, but he knew, in his own soul, that such thoughts were just part of the delusions that had been built about all of Heaven. That he himself had been just as blind, just as eager to slay all evil without seeing the corruption that could brew within when believing there was no choice.

 

Perhaps it was the nephelem, these mortals, who saw the choice just easier because they were so set apart from the laws of Heaven and Hell, of the vicious ways in which eternity had bound them to sides of a conflict that was far more complicated.

 

Imperius looked over to where Malthael stood, his back to him. He could hear the clang of armor indicating the guards had returned, no doubt coming to see if this where Malthael had been taken. His wings flared and his tail lashed about in agitation as a new kind of fury rose up in his chest, one born of a stubbornness that was in his nature.   
  
“No one dies tomorrow Malthael.”  
  
The former archangel glanced over his shoulder, “Imperius, you cannot go against our laws and the will of Heaven on your own. Ruler or not, you cannot win a battle already lost.”   
  
“The battle is not over,” Imperius growled, clenching both his hands, wings flaring up with a fire again, “It is not over until there is no one left to fight and I am not going to stop. What you did is a crime, but,” He exhaled, turning away, “There is more to this story. More that makes this choice neither right or wrong and… I will save you. I promise. You deserve a second chance.”  
  
“That is a nice sentiment,” Maltahel said softly, “But you have to think of the whole.”  
  
“I am.” Imperius said as he turned away, “And there is only one way to stop this cycle.”   
  
The archangel of valor stalked forward, his wings flared in obvious agitation and he paused only long enough to tell the guards to restrict all visitors to Malthael and that the condemned was to be left to his thoughts as per his final request before he teleported away.   
  
His mind was realing with all that had been said and the truths left bare about the past, but it did not shock him as much it should. Perhaps his own corrupted state and his own mortality had changed him. Or perhaps it was the influence of Tevar and Aladria or even the influence of Rakanoth that had given him more perspective.   
  
Or perhaps it was Malthael himself, the glowing jewel of Heaven, admired so much for his convictions but at the same time, brought low by those same empty expectations.

 

All of it was hard to take in and even harder to really sit down and piece together. Such thoughts though were not his strong suit nor the purpose of valor, especially when to everyone else the matter was settled. Justice had been given and fate written.

 

It took valor though to raise its voice and simply say it was all wrong.   
  
This was not right. 

That single thought was all it took for Imperius to steal his will once more, focusing on what needed to be now. He had a battle to still win.

 

There was a way to save Malthael and to set things right, but the path was clouded and his thoughts were scrambling to find some place to focus on. He paused for a moment outside the prison, wings flaring before he was hastily making his way back to the halls of valor. Every event in Heaven’s history that pertained to war or to military action, had always been recorded and stored with the archives at the heart of the halls of valor.  Given that such information was often far more sensitive and pertained to the security of Heaven as a whole, it had been decided such records would not be stored within the library of fate.  Of course for older records, any angel could ask to see them and if they held significant rank, they could read over them, but very few bothered to enter the vault.   
  
Within the vault though would be the original report by Tyranius herself that would outline what happened at the hold and within it, no doubt something that would give more credence to Malthael’s account. With evidence like that, Imperius was sure he could bring it before Tyrael and Itherael and have a new trial put forth.

 

The archangel of valor practically stormed through the halls of valor, ignoring the members of his host that watched him past, all but bursting into the vault. He paused only for a moment to look about before heading deeper into the cramped room.   
  
The archive vault was old, dusty, and not as organized as it probably should have been. The host of valor and those hosts before it that had stored the reports of battle had not been as meticulous as their kin in the library. It was really only the recent records, those filed by Ignaceus that were well tended to.   
  
The older records were a complete mess of out of order reports and misplaced documents. Imperius found himself quickly becoming frustrated leafing through stacks of reports, the parchment so ancient it had yellowed and the writing had faded to barely legible scrawl.  After a moment, he was all but throwing stacks of reports onto the floor, furiously digging through the archives, wings spread wide.   
  
“Where is it!?” he snarled, just about ready to throw an entire bookshelf over in his agitation.

 

“Where is what sir?”  
  
Imperius jumped at hearing Ignaceus’s tired question, looking over his shoulder to where his lieutenant was setting down a stack of reports on a table, no doubt about to store them away.  
  
“The report on the attack on the Hold of Redemption,” Imperius snapped, as if the answer was obvious, “I want to see what it says exactly.”  
  
Ignaceus was silent for a moment before looking away, “Inarius took it.” He said quietly, “He asked about the report a week ago and given his rank within Heaven-“  
  
“He took it!?” Imperius let out a snarl, his anger peaking as he finally did push over an entire shelf in a sudden spat of frustrated fury, “Why did you not report this!?”  
  
“I was not asked to report on it. It was just some old report,” Ignaceus said softly, although his tone was tense, “I had no idea he would bring up the accusation in court sir. It was not as pressing as other issues.”  
  
“He could change it to read how he wanted!” Imperius snarled, slamming a fist into the wall, his tail lashing about angrily, knocking over more stacks of fallen reports, “Even if he returns it, it is all but useless!”    
  
He wanted to lash out as Ignacues but he held his temper, knowing the lieutenant was only doing his job. He found himself sinking to the floor, frustration burning in his soul and the corruption writhing. Idly, he picked up a report, glaring over it. The neat handwriting of his predecessor was easy enough to identify and the terse way in which she reported on things. Everything was written out with little cause for debate. A sigh escaped Imperius as he slumped forward, tossing the useless report aside.  
  
That had been one lead gone up in smokes and with it, any hope of a re-trial.   
  
“Why did you need the report sir?”Ignaceus asked hesitantly.  
  
“I wanted to see if it matched to what Inarius and Malthael told me,” He murmured, “I wanted to find something I could use to keep Malthael from being executed.”   
  
Ignaceus was silent before glancing away, “I did see the report if you want me to re-write it for you…”  
  
“Doesn’t matter. A copy can be thrown out in court, even if I know you would put down the exact details,” He murmured, staring at the mountain of thrown about papers, “I wanted there to be something I could use.”   
  
Ignaceus’s wings flicked some as he looked away, “I’m sorry sir. I wish I would have withheld the report.”  
  
“It is not your fault.” Imperius sighed rising to his feet, “You were doing your job.”  
  
“It does not stop me from wishing I hadn’t handed Inarius the trial,” Ignaceus said quietly.  
  
Imperius glanced at his lieutenant silently before starting to move pass, “….tell me, did you vote for his death?”  
  
Ignaceus gave a small shake of his head, “I did not. Something about it all…seemed too convenient.” He murmured, “And Malthael wasn’t telling the whole story which in of itself meant there was far more going on. Unlike many in Heaven, I never vote on a gut reaction.”   
  
Imperius chuckled, tiredly clapping a hand on Ignaceus’s shoulder, “I can always count on you, lieutenant to focus on the nuances of a strategy and not the effect.”   
  
“Someone has to keep your faith in us going.” He responded, “I just wish I could do more.”  
  
“You do enough.” Imperius glanced about the room before giving a shake of his head, “I’m sorry to disturb your work and ah…create more work for you.”   
  
He moved past his lieutenant. There were no answers here. There was nothing he could dig up that could expose or prove what Malthael said. All that was left now was to try and tackle an even more impossible sounding task.

 

 Ignaceus cocked his head, “Where are you going now sir?”  
  
“To Malthael’s study. There are books upon books concerning the laws of Heaven and I only have until dawn tomorrow to read them all and try and wrap my head about them,” Imperius growled, his shoulders set stubbornly, “There has to be something there. Some loophole that can be exploited. The law are not infallible. There is always way to bend them.”   
  
Ignaceus shook his head, “Sir, need I remind you that you barely passed any class as a fledgling that required any sort of research?“ he drawled, “Or required you to read anything that wasn’t war history?”  
  
“I know I am not a scholar but I have to try! I’m not about to just concede in battle! That is not the way of the host of valor!” Imperius snapped, armor heating up in embarrassment, “And I have grown since then! I’m not a fledgling anymore!”

“Sir, but if I may interject-“  
  
“You are wasting my time, lieutenant!” Imperius interrupted, “Unless you have something important to say-“

  
“I was going to ask if you wanted help.”

 

Imperius jolted, looking at his lieutenant as the anger in his words quickly faded, “Help me?”  
  
“I can read as fast as I write and I have an eye for small detail. I was always a far better researcher than you sir,” He responded, clasping his hands behind him, “And you can’t win battles alone sir and as your lieutenant, I would be doing a disservice to my rank if I did not help.”   
  
Imperius stared at Ignaceus in disbelief before shaking his head, feeling a warmth creep into his soul, starting to push back the doubts and spark up that sliver of hope once more, “Ignaceus… I can’t begin to say-“

  
“Then don’t try sir. You and I both know you are terrible at trying to get sentimental,” Ignaceus teased, his voice amused, “Just tell me what you need.”   
  
Imperius nodded, “I want to keep this between the two of us. That means less chances of Inarius getting wind of us trying to undo his victory,” he murmured, “We need some way to cover up what we are doing.”   
  
“That is simple sir.  It is not unusual for us to be seen together. I’m your most trusted lieutenant and all I need to do is bring some paperwork and say you are working in the realm of wisdom to avoid the trial talk and cool down.” Ignaceus said with a shrug, “And Malthael’s study is very insular and easy to maintain privacy. Not out of the blue to retreat there. Besides, the place is a mess and he has probably went through it. I highly doubted he had the foresight to imagine you reading any laws books.”   
  
Imperius nodded, thinking for a moment, wings flickering in slight irritation. He wanted to protest that Inarius might consider him reading books on law, but begrudgingly, he knew very few in Heaven thought him much of a reader. In fact, one of the less flattering rumors about him was he was some sort of idiot that was only good at fighting, screaming at demons, and being stubborn about anything new.

 

For once though, it seemed those negative qualities assumed of him might give them a fighting chance.   
  
“Very well. Then I’ll see you there,” He paused before giving a nod of his head, “And thank you Ignaceus. For helping me. For still staying by my side after all this time. I do not know what I have done to earn your loyalty, but it means more than you can imagine.”   
  
“No, thank you sir.” Ignaceus responded, dipping his head, “I had given up on hope, of even being alive, of continuing this fight against Hell after being captured. I thought it was all over.” He looked away, “You’ve given us the courage to fight again. To dare to see a new dawn and to face even death itself. If you say Malthael is not guilty, if you say he deserves life, then I agree with you. You will not lead us astray.”  
  
The archangel of valor raised a hand to touch the corruption upon his chest, “You have so much faith in me.”  
  
“I have faith in Heaven.” Ignaceus responded, “And in you. No angel has born corruption as long as you have. It only reminds us all of the strength still left in all of us. We can still fight as long as their breath to draw and not even Hell itself can contain our mightiest champion.”   
  
Imperius felt his soul swell, shaking his head, “What in the arch’s name did I do to have a lieutenant like you always at my side?”  
  
“Probably more than a few fuck ups, enough the arch decided you needed someone to take care of the paperwork,” Ignaceus responded, his tone teasing, “But we are wasting time sir. I’ll get the paperwork cover and meet you in Malthael’s study.”  
  
Imperius gave a nod as Ignaceus turned on his heels to hurry off. He could not hold back how grateful he was for the other angel and the dedication he always gave. Imperius shook his head, wings flickering as he gave one look about the archives before quickly teleporting out of the dusty room.  
  
In an instant he appeared in the middle of Malthael’s study, still a mess from where it was ransacked. Yet despite the ruinous appearance, the books on law, huge, dusty, unmarked tombs tucked away in the corner beneath moldering scrolls of notes, lay untouched.  The sight of those books had that small spark of hope practically turning into a flame as he started to heave them up to take to one of the sturdy tables that still stood in the study. 

Soon a small mountain of the huge tomes rose from the table and Imperius was already taking a seat, pulling one of the dusty books towards him. His hope waned as he was presented with writing that seemed almost comically spall in order to fit more upon a page, broken into four even columns on each page with few breaks, as if the person writing the tome had little concept of paragraphs. Quickly Imperius flipped to the table of content, bringing the book closer as if that would somehow enlarge the words so he did not have to strain to read what was on the page.

 

This single book contained hundreds of chapters, each talking about very specific points of the law and idly Imperius wondered if Inarius and Tyrael had already been insane from the start finding any of this interesting enough to read. Laws about ancient dress code traditions and offenses did not seem like something interesting or even bloody important to know.   
  
Imperius huffed, wings pulling close as he forced himself to read through the table of contents, looking for something, anything that may help in saving Malthael.   
  
He had to find his own plan, his own strategy to undo all that had happened today and set things right.

 

The battle wasn’t over until there was no one left to fight and until dawn came, Imperius would not rest, not until he could assure his victory in this battle of wills.

 

All he had left was mad hope, a burning, insane sort of fury born of his own nature to not capitulate in the face of insurmountable odds.

 

There were answers. There was a way. There was always a way to victory.

 

He hunched himself forward, getting comfortable in the chair as he turned to the page of a chapter that looked promising.

 

He would not give up, not again.

 

This time, he would make good the legends of his nature and find victory within the jaws of defeat, even if it meant having to read every book of law in Heaven cover to cover.

 

He would find a way. He always found a way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took so long to write but there were so many things to hit upon and connect. So many little things to sprinkle in and pieces to put out there. A lot happened in this chapter and things are looking bad...but Imperius does not like to lose XD 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	25. Execution

Imperius couldn’t force himself to focus on the words on the page before him. 

After continuous hours of reading and trying to parse each word for some miracle answer, the words upon the page seemed to jump and swim together into an incomprehensible garble. The archangel felt himself reverting to the days of being a fledgling, trapped in those painfully long lectures with no idea what was being said and knowing an exam was just around the corner. 

And like then, he was sitting in the library with someone at his side, trying to understand and become a genius in a night, praying to Anu, the arch, or whatever all powerful force of the universe was listening at the time. 

None of it was making sense to Imperius. 

He was reading what the laws said, had spent hour after hour trying to learn as many as he could in regards to trials, convictions, executions, and proceedings with as much studious care as a fate angel and yet he felt as he had learned nothing. 

Learned nothing except there were far too many bloody laws in Heaven and most of them were only there for very specific cases that most likely happened once so someone had to make a law for it.

It made for long, rambling reading that seemed to both contradict other laws and enforces others in certain cases. Imperius found what hope he had going into this dwindling with every turn of the page he made, trying to wrap his head about the influx of new knowledge that might as well been written in demonic.

The archangel of valor let the book he was looking through fall back against the table as he slumped back in his seat, hands clenching in frustration. A sigh managed its way out of him in a slight hiss of air as he glanced over to where Ignaceus. Even if he was far more studious, this research seemed to have drained his second-in-commander of energy. There was a noticeable dip to his lieutenant’s wings and his posture had become progressively more hunched over. The conversations and small snippets of discussion they had been sharing had all but petered off.

There was nothing but a heavy silence left pressing down within the cold, gloomy remains of Malthael’s study. 

Imperius’s gaze dropped back down to the book as he turned the page again, leaning forward with a sigh, “Have you found anything?”

“More of the same,” Ignaceus murmured, “Inarius covered himself well. Every move he made was deceive and he clearly knows the laws of Heaven as well as he knows the back of his hand.”

“That does not fill me with confidence for us finding some way to undo all this,” Imperius growled, letting his gaze fall over old executions, thousands of years old with almost all of them ending in a death. Only one or two stood out, but the situations involved in those ones were not comparable to their own. 

In every case, someone had to die. Blood had to be paid for the execution. 

It was a history of violence that had Imperius’s core turning, wanting there to be at least one small example, one tiny weakness in this whole case that could be utilized.

Just something that could allow him to save Malthael and not need to sacrifice someone elsed. 

Ignaceus’s wings flicked as he finally glanced up from the book he was reading, his soul letting out a small note of hesitancy, “I do not think we have the time nor expertise to find a way out of this.” he murmured, glancing away, “Not for lack of trying though. We have read through every book of law, every trial recorded-”

“I know.” Imperius snarled, “But there is something here, I know it! There has to be!”

Ignaceus let out a soft sigh, “ Imperius, sometimes-”

“Lieutenant General Ignaceus sir!”

Imperius looked up sharply at the intrusion, wings giving a sudden flare. Ignaceus was already on his feet, his posture relaxing as he recognized the figure in the doorway, “Ah, Major General Samurel. What can I help you with?”

The valor angel in the doorway brought his heels together, raising a hand and giving a formal salute and bow of his head, “I do not wish to interrupt, but with dawn approaching, I wanted to inquire as to the security protocol for the coming execution if only so I can get the captains to actually cooperate with orders.” Samurel said, his tone carrying a hint of irritation. 

The archangel of valor jolted some, raising his head, “...it is already dawn?”

“Yes commander,” Samurel supplied with a solemn nod, “The tower of retribution is being prepared, but there is a complete mess in the ranks! Some of the captains are quiet unreasonable this morning and aren’t following the orders of their superiors and picking fights! It is a shameful mess and complete shames their ranks and their host.”

Ignaceus shook his head with a sigh, “I know who those captains probably are,” he grumbled, coming over to clap Samurel on the shoulder, “I’ll handle them. Gather up the other two major generals and have them report to me. We are going to keep form and function together, despite differences of opinions. Not about to let Heaven go to chaos, not when it destroyed us last time.”

“As you order sir. I’ll gather the ranked officiers,” Samurel gave a bow of his head before he was quick to turn on his heels and dart off. 

Imperius stared listlessly down at the book in his hand, his grip tightening on it, “We are out of time already...”

“I am at least,” Ignaceus murmured, “You have an hour or two left to try and find a miracle sir. I need to go make sure everything is set for this morning. I’ve done what I’ve could.”

The Lieutenant general paused in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder at Imperius, “I pray that you can think of something sir.”

With that, he vanished, attending to his duties and ensuring that at the very least, order would be maintained in the high heavens despite the ordeal about to commence. Imperius didn’t even acknowledge his words, his mind running through hundreds of useless scenarios over and over again.

The execution was mere hours away and he had nothing.

All the reading, all the laws he had tried to grasp and the thousands of years of history he tried to familiarize himself with had been in vain. No matter what angel he looked at it, no matter what loopholes they discovered, Inarius seemed to have anticipated it with his every motion, creating an impenetrable defense. 

There was nothing he could do that wouldn’t just end in more bloodshed, more loss of life.

A snarl escaped Imperius as he threw the book he had been holding aside, burying his face in his hands and trying to push away the clawing grip of despair that was trying to crush what little hope he held left. He felt cold. Frustratingly helpless. 

There was nothing to be done. Nothing he could do without upsetting all of Heaven. 

There was no way to save everyone. One way or another, blood was demanded this day.

Someone had to die to settle a long distant past and try to heal the still bleeding, festering wounds Heaven had endured since that ancient age.

Anger and frustration boiled in Imperius’s resonance and a half-feral shout escaped his throat as he rose to his feet. His anger exploded outwards as he threw the table before him over, sending the stacks of law books crashing to the floor in a heap and spilling ink and parchment across the floor. Imperius stood there heaving, snarling, both hands clenched tight to the point he could feel the pin-pricks of his claws starting to dig into the palm of his hands. He winced, feeling the corruption surge, for so long being almost dormant to flare now in reaction to the anger and dislike burning in his core. Imperius raised one trembling hand to his chest, scrapping the claws over the corruption there as he turned away from the mess, starting to pace. 

A stubborn note was rising in his soul, desperately trying to protect the tiny flare of hope, that there was something he could do. There had to be something he could do. There was always a path to victory.

“There has to be a way,” he murmured out loud to himself, “What am I not seeing!? What am I not understanding!?”

He paused only a minute to pick up one of the books from the floor, flipping frantically through the pages, staring at the words but unable to comprehend any of it as his mind raced, more and more aware of the fingertips of light starting to creep in through the upper windows of Malthael’s study. Nothing was coming to mind but thoughts of the execution to come and how well Inarius had laid out the trial and played upon the crowd.

Yet a stubborn part of his soul was screaming he could do something to stop this.

There had to be a way.

He tossed aside the book in hand, snarling, coming over to grip the edge of another table, lifting his gaze to take in the carvings upon the wall. Malthael’s study was a marvel of architecture, the tall pillars, each carved to represent an archangel of the past, extending upwards to a domed ceiling where an incredible painted scene of the pools of wisdom spread out. The whole of it was designed so a few lit lanterns in the twilight and night would make the whole of it shimmer, like thousands of the native light bugs had gathered to dance above. His gaze drifted back down, fixing on the portrait of Magtherius and a much younger Malthael against the far wall, set off to the side, but left untouched.

Sadness and pain welled up in Imperius’s soul as he took in that carving. 

If Magtherius was here, he would have known what to do. If Tyranius, his own mentor were here, she would know what to do. 

Any blasted ruler or archangel in the history of Heaven would know what to do because they would understand the intricacies of the damanbal politics of Heaven because they had been raised to know them. Every archangel was always groomed to take a position as one and Imperius….

He had been raised to be a general, to lead armies and to serve under the command of an archangel. From a young age, he had had always telling him what was needed to do. Even as the archangel of valor, it had always been Malthael who directed his fury and actions.

He was not meant to be a leader meant to navigate this web of laws and politics. 

His core was meant for action, but he felt directionless. His thoughts were a mess of incoherent laws and snippets of facts mixing with the hot anger that burned in his core. He felt utterly helpless. 

Imperius sank to the floor, face buried against twisted claws and feeling far too much like a fledgling once more. His soul snarled with frustration and the corruption was writhing more in glee, glutting itself on the feelings of discontent he couldn’t banish.

Within the maelstrom of emotions in thoughts, a single one drifted up to the surface.

“This is wrong. This is all wrong.” 

The words slipped out, broken and cracked with the emotions of despair he was trying to hard to surmount. The fingers of the dawn were more apparent, red against the black stone of the study, like trails of blood slowly starting to drip to the floor to pool.

Someone had to die today to set everything right once more. It would be on top of Malthael’s corpse that the new age of Heaven would be built upon. 

Imperius let out a broken, almost hysterical laugh as that single thought came to him.

“Nothing had changed. Nothing has changed at all...” he murmured, lowering his hands to stare blankly at the floor, his wings drawing tight, wrapping about his shoulders in an effort to comfort himself, “Heaven will always be built on sacrifice and blood.”

How tired he was growing of the perpetual violence the eternal conflict seemed to foster on both sides. There history internally was as bloody as the one externally fought with Hell. To Maintain the order and light they held so dear, the discontent in their ranks had to be purged again and again. Those that did not fit into that shining example of piety had to be silenced and bled dry, their essence to be the gilded paint to cover Heaven again and hide every flaw.

More and more, Imperius felt a contempt now for those ideas of purity he used to adhere to so blindly in the past. 

“Lord Imperius, its time.”

Imperius lifted his head some to regard Ignaceus as he stood silently in the doorway. His second-in-command wasn’t making eye contact, keeping his gaze fixed to the wall to the side, hands clutched tightly together behind his back. The archangel of valor’s gaze dropped down to the floor, wings sagging, “Time already,” he murmured, “Everything is moving too fast today...”

“Malthael has been fetched by the guards to be brought to the tower,” Ignaceus said quietly, “He will be held in the chamber of confessions to await you to give his final words before he is executed.”

Imperius couldn’t help the small wince, trying to cover it up with a nod as he rose to his feet. As the ruler of Heaven, his last duty in all of this was to listen to the final confession of the accused, his last will and wishes and pass them along if they were within his capacity to fulfill. His entire resonance though was seizing up at the thought, buzzing through to every inch of his being with a rush that mortals might akin to adrenaline. He wanted to do something more than just listen.

He wanted to save Malthael but the laws of Heaven were heavy chains in of themselves, wrapped about his form, binding him to the very inaction Tyrael had long ago accused them of embracing.

But those same laws were the foundation of Heaven, of who they were, of what they wished to achieve. To just dismiss them was to invite in the chaos Hell thrived in and divide the Heaven’s further, leading to their downfall. 

All he could do was listen, one last time to his oldest friend before he met his end. 

“I will meet him there.” Imperius said quietly. 

Nothing else needed to be said. Ignaceus gave a nod before vanishing away. Imperius looked one last time around the study, feeling the weight of all of this finally settling on his shoulders and making him feel so weary. A sigh escaped him before he forced himself to step out of the study, spreading his wings and making his way towards the edge of the pools of wisdom. 

The edge of Heaven’s domain was a barren place of jagged cliffs that rose up just beyond the pools and extended along the edge. To the right of the barrier wall, the landscape rose far more sharply into a short range of towering peeks that were called the five sages, each one named for a wise sage of Heaven’s past who had meditated in the area. The fifth peak though had long since been destroyed in some cataclysmic civil war of the ancient era of Heaven, said to have occurred when the traitorous Ophanim were cast from the High Heavens to the frozen lands of the forlorn peaks. Whatever the reason for the middle peaks destruction, the mad archangel of retribution had built his tower upon that peak, the structure looming above the others and appearing like some dark smear on the horizon as he rose up from the churning sea of clouds below. 

 

It was an old building, built in an era of Heaven where executions were far more commonplace. The black stone of the place and the more geometric build made it seem more like something of Hell’s architecture than of Heaven’s. The carvings and statues that adorned the outer ledges and walls depicted macabre scenes of decapitation and piles of body as well as extreme levels of violence that would turn the stomach of all but the most battle-hardened of angels. The archangel of retribution had made sure that every corner of his black tower inspired a sense of unease and dread, wanting the place to stand tall as a bloody testament to his divine retribution. 

Of course, he himself was said to be mad and bloodthirsty in his own right, his black and white views of the world had led to many convictions and executions that had come to an end when he himself was put to death, leading to a sudden civil war within the sanctity in Heaven. The resulting chaos had only been brought to an end by Magtherius’s ascension to the throne and the archangel of virtue enacting more strict laws and proceedings when it came to justice. 

The number of executions dwindled to few and the tower of retribution was all but abandoned, only cleaned up when a rare conviction called for it to be brought back into history again. 

Imperius landed at the gates of the tower, wings tensed. The place was too quiet despite the dull murmur of gathering angels to the upper observation desk. There was something cruel, something solemn about this place. Something that made Imperius’s soul recoil as he passed beneath the threshold of the open black gate. The black marble stone beneath his feet was saturated with spilled blood, hidden by the dark coloration. The tower had been used for millennium and the abuse of prisoners even before they were brought out, final beatings to force confessions, and sadistic tortures of the accused was edged deep into the stone. There were deep ruts, scratch marks upon the floor, the tell-tale scorch marks of wings as they dug against the floor and walls, trying to claw back towards the entrance. 

The place felt more cursed, haunted perhaps, though angelic souls never lingered long before rebirth. There was an energy here that seemed to make the trickles of light that came in through the windows muted and dull somehow. Listless.

The place felt like a temple at the edge of Heaven where the wrongs of the past were swept out in bloody heaps to herald in the new age time and time again. Each new ruler seemed to raise the tower from the past to enacts its bloody blessings once more. At the beginning and end of every age, the tower retribution quietly stood, accepting the sacrifice made upon its alter, of the blood that it fed upon to form the sanguine foundation of Heaven. 

Today, it would be Malthael’s blood offered to the macabre place to bury one violent past in order to build new one.

The thought had Imperius’s hands clenching as he stalked forward through the halls, trying to ignore the signs of desperation that still marked the walls and the twisted iconography of bloody retribution that surrounded him, leering at him from every corner. He still tried to focus his thoughts to what he had read, to everything that the history books had outlined in an effort to try and find something. All his thoughts though seemed to be sucked by the stone around, forcing him to always come back to thinking about Malthael and the hopelessness of the situation.

Even as Imperius tried to calm himself down and focus, his soul did not seem to be cooperating. He felt as if he was no longer attached to his physical form, his body moving in a mechanical daze through the dark place, following the wavering portal of light ahead that lead into the chamber of confessions. The room where Malthael was being held as they awaited for the start of his execution. 

The chamber of confession was carved of white stone with more windows at the peaks, letting light cascade pleasantly down. The floor was a molted mess of long dried blood and scratches, contrasting sharply with the serene statues that circled the place, hands gently reaching out. Malthael stood at the center of the room, wings hanging limply about his shoulders and his head bowed to take in the ancient blood-stains on the floor. Two guards stood flanking him, holding the bindings of his chain.

When Imperius entered the chamber, the two guards straightened up, giving a quick salute which Imperius returned wearily.

“You are dismissed. I will watch over the prisoner until it is time,” Imperius said quietly. “I will summon you back when the time comes for him to be escorted.” 

The two guards said not a word as they bowed before vanishing away. Malthael didn’t look up, his gaze still locked on the floor. Imperius stood there silently as well, his attention turned towards the large opening at the far end of the chamber. Beyond, the stone once more returned to black, extending outwards into a large oval platform that extended out over the sea of clouds. The observation decks circled about three sides, leaving a wide open visage to the clouds below. Upon a raised daise at the edge, the executioner’s block sat, the surface dull with the blood covering it and the various marks of weaponry being brought down to behead the accused. It was tilted slightly forward, making it easier for the head to roll off into the clouds below and fall into the frozen pit of bodies below. The body would soon be shoved off over that same edge to the cheers of the crowd. 

For now, the place was empty as Tyrael had not yet arrived, nor Inarius. As the archangel of justice and keeper of the courts, it was Tyrael’s duty to play the part of executioner of the law. Inarius, as the presiding inquisitor, was to read the charges and make it known for what weak reasons Malthael was to be put to death for.

Ironically, it would be the first time Tyrael would ever have to carry out an execution. During Malthael’s reign and into Imperius’s own in the ancient age, there had been no convictions resulting in a public beheading. Such a thing was considered something only to be used in extreme circumstances and save for Inarius’s transgressions, none had come up.

Malthael was to be the first to die by beheading in millennium.

The thought was a sobering one and only made the wrong of the whole situation more poignant. Imperius glanced at the silent archangel, shifting uncomfortable from foot to foot before looking away, “Malthael, I’m...I’m sorry it has come to this. I should’ve done more, I should’ve-”

“You did everything you could Imperius and that is more than I deserved,” Malthael interrupted quietly, “I’m sorry for my own failures, my own flaws….for everything I’ve done that has led to this moment.”

Imperius gave a shake of his head, “but there was something I could’ve done to help. Something more that would have turned this race of a trial around to let them see you deserve another chance,” his hands clenched, “The law is all wrong...” 

Malthael laughed quietly, finally lifting his head, “There is no stopping justice. Those of us who sin, who kill, who commit atrocities, eventually have to face what we’ve done.” he looked about the room at the white, cold statues that extended hands of mercy uselessly towards him, “It is not like I do not deserve this. I have not lived a life of virtue.”

“No one deserves this.” Imperius said softly, “No matter what crime was committed. No one deserves the chances to not be reborn in the arch’s light.” 

They lapsed once more into silence. Malthael’s gaze remained fixed ahead for a long while. It was only the sound of the wind, murmuring between the peaks and bringing with it, the cold of the peaks that made a whipser within the chamber. The former archangel of wisdom’s gaze dropped down to the floor, his hands clenching in his bindings.

“...I suppose I should give my last words.” 

“It is at your digression. I can only listen and carry out any last wills you leave,” Imperius murmured.

“I do not have much to say for last words. I….” Malthael paused before looking away, “I only want you to promise me one thing Imperius.”

The archangel of valor looked over at the dark angel as he took in a shuddering breath, trying to remain composed in the face of his own demise. His wings were taunt and close to his back and there was a tremble to his form now, one that spoke of the quiver of fear of what was to come. 

“Promise me you’ll find Auriel,” Malthael said quietly, “Find her and find Hadriel. Let them be a part of your new Heaven. Let them find solace, not just more pain and suffering. Promise me that.”

“Malthael-”

“My soul may be trapped in those frozen lands, but I will not feel torment if I know she and Hadriel are well,” he interrupted, voice strained, “Just promise me, you’ll help her. Help her in the way I couldn’t.”

Imperius felt his soul clench, looking away, “You’ll be there to help her this time Malthael.”

“That is a lovely wish, but a wish nonetheless,” Malthael said softly glancing away. He fell silent for a moment, his form trembling, gaze fixed on the floor “Am I foolish Imperius? Am I foolish that I wanted to see her again, just one more time? To be able to speak with her, to sit with her as we used to?”

Imperius felt his soul clench, giving a shake of his head, “It is not foolish at all. I’m sure if she was here now, she would have voted to let you live.”

“I have missed her so terrible over these long years,” Malthael murmured, “Everything else, everyone else...I have thought about, but her...I miss her. I miss her light, her hope, the clarity she always brought to me, the soothing trill of her resonance that made me want to do better. She was my dawn, each day, rising me from my darkest thoughts and yet...” He took in a shuddering breath, hands clenching tight, “I ignored her. I pushed her away. I thought the further she was away from me, the safer she would be, the better off she would be...”

The former archangel brought a hand up to cover his face, his grief and regret so visible now here before the end of all things. There was no need for masks. There was nothing left to hide. 

“Why couldn’t I just tell her how much she meant to me?” Malthael asked quietly, voice broken, “Why couldn’t I just accept I loved her more than I could ever love myself?”

Imperius gave a shake of his head, “I...I do not know the answer to those questions Malthael.” he let out a quiet laugh, “I myself have been just as...blind when it has come to those I care about. I think she knew Malthael. I really sincerely think she knew. She never gave up on you.”

Malthael gave a small nod, taking in a deep shuddering breath as if to speak, only to shake his head. His wings were trembling more, rasping softly. He lifted his head, looking out towards his execution before looking towards Imperius, taking another shuddering breath, this time finding his voice.

“Please find her Imperius. Keep her safe for me and tell her….tell her I’m sorry. Tell her I’m so sorry for what I did, for the harm I did. Tell her...tell her I’m sorry.” He managed out, voice cracking. 

The archangel of valor felt his hands clenching into his fist, his mind spinning again, feeling detached, on edge, tired, and burning up all at once. His resonance was a storm of emotions he couldn’t comprehend. 

Everything felt wrong. This was wrong. 

He gave a shake of his head, “You’ll tell her yourself Malthael. We’ll be there together.” Imperius managed out, unable to hide the tremble of his voice despite the conviction he held, “You’ll set everything right, I know it.”

Malthael looked at Imperius before looking away, laughing quietly, “Yes. I suppose we will be together then. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see us both.”

“See us both and tell us off just like she always used to do.” Imperius put in, feeling the sharp pain of sorrow and nostalgia in his soul.

“That she will.” Malthael managed, voice cracking again, “...We’ll be there together, in one form or another. Memories always keep those who walk to darker paths alive.”

Imperius gave a nod, feeling a knot form within his throat. He followed Malthael’s gaze out towards the execution platform. Inarius was there now and Tyrael was just stepping out himself, his posture tense and his grip tight about El’druin’s handle.

He wouldn’t forget Malthael. The Malthael he knew. The one he grew up with and served beside. The Malthael who had set out to change Heaven for the better and had wanted to do right, the one who joked sarcastically and wrote poetry. The Malthael that still wanted to set so much more right. 

But someone had to die today. A sacrifice was to be made to bury the past. Blood for blood. Death for death. 

“My lord?”

Imperius glanced up as the two guards appeared at the entrance, both looking hesitantly, but one stepping forward with a small bow, “Is...the confession completed? We are ready to begin.” 

“It is finished.” Malthael said, straightening up, regaining his composure, “You may signal the inquisitor.” 

Imperius just stood there, watching numbly as the guards glanced at each other before one turned to give a signal to Inarius. The archangel of valor watched as Inarius unrolled a scroll with a great deal of flourish, turning towards the gathered crowd. 

“Today, we bare witness to the execution of Malthael, former archagnel of wisdom, the bloody reaper of Westmarch, and former ruler of Heaven. His crimes are as followed-”

Imperius tuned out Inarius’s words, his gaze fixed on Malthael as the two guards approached, moving to once more pick up the chains of his bindings and start to lead him forward. 

He had to do something. 

Yet Imperius remained rooted to the spot as Inarius finished his grand oration of Malthael’s crimes, rolling up the scroll and stepping back.

He had to move. He had to do something to stop this. This wasn’t right.

It felt though like his body had turned to heavy stone, unable to move, unable to act as Malthael was escorted forward. The former archangel held himself erect, his posture straight, maintaining as much dignity as he could. The wind had picked up, bringing the chill of the peaks with it. The clink of chains echoed loudly, the only sound breaking the heavy silence that had settled about. The entire tower seemed to grow darker, almost as if it were leaning forward around the execution platform, ready for the first drops of blood to be spilled.

All of this was so terribly wrong. 

Imperius was trembling, hands clenched, his mind turning over everything, trying to find clarity, trying to find an answer before it was too late. There were executions, thousands of them. Some were overturned through small gestures, but none helped now. The situations were all wrong. 

He watched Malthael come to a pause, his gaze locked on the executioner’s block. The wind sent the cloth of his robes fluttering in the wind as he stood there. Time seemed to slow down as Malthael continued to look at the block. His form was trembling, wings pulled tight to his back. In the past, there has been prisoners who had struggled away and has to be held down by guards for the deed to be done. For a moment, it looked as if Malthael would throw all dignity to the wind and try to resist.

His wings twitched before slowly he began to sink down to one knee, then the other, kneeling gracefully before the block. Again he paused before he leaned forward, bound hands raising to grip onto the edge of the block to brace himself as he set his head into the worn niche to await the bite of the sword. 

Something needed to be done to stop this. Nothing was right. Everything felt wrong and yet Imperius couldn’t move a muscle, as if the power of this wretched place had turned him to stone, holding him in place to witness the bloody deed. 

Inarius stood off to the side, wings spread and his resonance projecting a grim glee, a bloodthirstiness that no down this whole wretched tower was feeding upon. Tyrael moved to grip his blade in both hands as if the blade suddenly had grown heavy. For a moment he wavered before he squared his shoulders, entire posture tensing as he began to lift El’druin up high. 

The brilliant blow glinted in the morning light, catching the rays of the arch as it reached the top of its arc, ready to fall down and finish the bloody deed. Imperius couldn’t look away, form trembling, hands clenched, mind going blank as if he were in the middle of battle, death about him, with the forces of Hell about to win and victory so faint.

His thoughts finally found clarity in the unchangeable reality of the whole situation. 

Someone had to die. Blood had to be spilled. 

But it wasn’t Malthael’s blood that needed to be spilled. 

“Stop!”

Imperius’s voice thundered and he found himself suddenly teleporting forward, wings flared as he appeared beside the exueciton block. The guards took a step back in alarm, dropping the chains they held and even Malthael looked up in surprise, leaning back. Tyrael paused, lowering his blade as he took a step back, his own wings spread in confusion and alarm. Inarius’s posture tensed, wings pulling in close as he stepped forward then, hands clutched behind his back as he eyed the archangel of valor. 

“Lord Imperius, need I remind you, our laws are very clear about the nature of executions,” Inarius said slowly, as if talking to a fledlging, “You cannot just overturn a conviction-”

“I can’t, you are right,” Imperius agreed, feeling his soul course as a mad thought finally found its way into his mind, pushing him to action, “But there is something I can do now to stop this.”

Inarius cocked his head, wings spreading curiously, “What?”

Imperius took a deep steadying breath, hands clenched before he looked up at the hundreds of angels gathered to witness Malthael’s death. 

Someone had to die, but id did not have to be Malthael. 

Imperius took a deep breath, straightening his shoulders and grasping onto that spark of valor in his own soul as he looked first to Inarius, then to the gathered crowd again. 

“I invoke the right of substitution!” Imperius bellowed, “The accused was not given fair trial! The laws state that is any have reasonable doubt of innocence, a substitution can be made!” 

The crowd murmured and Inarius let out a scoffing sound, “Are you mad? There is no one here who would substitute their life for his!”

“There is.” Imperius growled, flaring his wings and all but looming over Inarius, “I’m substituting myself and as the ruler of Heaven, I can approve the exchange, which I do.” 

Inarius gave a shake of his head, “A law of substitution cannot-”

“The individual making the substitution must be of equal or greater rank than that of the accused and as the current ruler of Heaven, I both match and exceed his rank!” Imperius snarled, “The substitution holds on all accounts, Inarius.” 

The entire tower was silent. Even the resonances of those angels watching seemed to have gone still in shock. Imperius felt a tremor of irritation run through his body as he looked about, wings spread, “Well? The right has been invoked!” he looked to the guards, holding out his hands, “Set the accused free!”

Tyrael’s wings were tight to his back as he stared in disbelief at Imperius“ You do understand what this means, don’t you? If you substitute yourself for Malthael, then you’ll be-”

“I understand completely what this means!” Imperius snarled, “Now make the switch!” 

Again there was silence before slowly the guards began to approach, almost hesitantly as if they were unsure if what they were hearing was true. Malthael was rising to his feet as well, wings pulled tight to his back as he stared at Imperius. 

“Are you…are you mad?” the former archangel hissed, “You’ll be killed in my place! The law of substitution is meant as an exhange for...for less extreme crimes and punishments!” 

Imperius glanced to Malthael as the guards began to undo Malthael’s bindings, setting the former archangel free,“I told you I would not let you die, Malthael.” Imperius said solemnly as he held still for the guards to slip the bindings onto his own wrists and wings, “I told you I would find a way.” 

“At the cost of your own life?” 

The archangel of valor’s gaze dropped down to the chains now about his wrists, wings pulling against his back. One of his hands was clawed, more demonic looking than angelic now. The armor looked tarnished now, covered more in a slowly encroaching, fleshy growth that extended up the arm, covered his entire chest, and starting to overtake the other arm and his torso. There were now even curls of corruption starting to creep up his neck and ghost fingertips against the edges of his helmet. 

 

Imperius looked up from the state of his being, giving a weary shake of his head and a soft laugh, “I’m already dead, Malthael,” he said quietly, “My life is number to months at most, perhaps merely weeks or days.”

His gaze shifted to the execution block, “I would rather my death means something than to slowly wither away until I lose myself to the clawing corruption on my soul. I am already dead, but you have a whole lifetime still to live.”

Malthael gave a shake of his head, wings flaring, “This is my execution, Imperius. Not yours. This is my crime to bare!”

“Not anymore,” Imperius responded, straightening his shoulder, “You aren’t alone anymore.”

The archangel of valor looked to the guards, tail swishing back and forth, “Escort him out.”

Malthael hissed as he was grabbed by the shoulders, struggling even as he was being dragged back, “You are a damn fool Imperius! A bloody fool! You aren’t going to be put to death! I’m not going to allow you to!” 

He managed to break the holds of the guards for a moment, moving to try and get back to where Imperius stood, only for three more guards to dive down, helping the former two to all but wrestle Malthael, shrieking in a hollow wail of anger and despair, back into the chamber of confession. The thud of the iron gate dropping down to seal him in, echoed in the new silence that had fallen upon the execution platform.

Imperius felt a small spark of satisfaction at that. Maltahel was now safe. The archangel of valor turned his attention away from the shocked gazes of the angels present, looking out over the sea of clouds. There was no more confusion, no despair, no sadness, nothing he expected to feel at least. There was a sense of peace perhaps, a sense of closure. 

He had done what he had promised and had acted. Really his own life was insignificant to the survival of Heaven, not just as his home, but as the core and ideals they held so dear. The unity that had safeguarded them through the worse of Hell’s attacks and the compassion, the mercy, that was meant to allow for forgiveness and understanding. 

He would willing give up everything to protect that. That was his duty as an archangel.

 

The wind was quiet now and something about the tower, once so rotten and foreboding seemed to change. There was a quiet sadness now to it, the gazes of those headless angels carved on the walls filled with pity as another innocent was to be put to death to fulfill the need for a sacrifice.

Tyrael stood beside Imperius, his grip tight on El’druin as he looked side-long at the archangel of valor.

“…you would have me kill you Imperius?” the archangel of justice asked quietly.

“I expect you to do your duty and follow the law.” Imperius responded, not looking over at the other angel.

“This is not your crime to be executed for.”

Imperius scoffed softly, “I am just as guilty as Malthael of crimes against Sanctuary. Inaction is as much a crime as wielding the blade. When the first reapers attacked, I could have sent the armies of Heaven to help, but I was more than content to let mortals die.”

Tyrael shook his head, “This is…this is wrong.”

The archangel of valor could have laughed at Tyrael, glancing over at him, “Now you finally see all of this for what it is?” he asked, “Ironic that it takes you having to execute someone you don’t hate for you to see the farce of your justice.” 

Imperius’s gaze returned to the sea of clouds below, feeling the breath of cold air rise up. Below, there was a sea of bodies, wretched souls that were cast away from Heaven’s light, their essence bond, slowly dispersing into the frozen lands, feeding the harpies. There would be no rebirth, only the silence of vanishing into obscurity and history. 

It was a vicious fate, but compared to losing all that he was to the corruption, at least he could die with a clear conscious. The tormenting lonliness and eternal cold, the pain of slowly being picked apart, that could be endured until there wasn’t enough of his essense to form thought. Heaven would be safe and those he left behind, he knew without a doubt, would carry on the legacy he started now. There was a comfort in that thought alone. 

Imperius shifted, moving to kneel down. Even Inarius was silent, his entire posture tense as the archangel of valor moved to lean forward, putting his head on the block without a hint of hesitation. 

Imperius’s hands clenched against his knees. The corruption in him writhed, as if whatever demonic essence taking root was realizing he was about to die and wanting to rip its way free of him before the end, to lash out and save the form it was inhabiting. He focused on that feeling grimly, pushing it down as he stared out ahead. 

He held no fear of death. Not even now as Tyrael moved to grip his blade in both hand. El’druin was quivering, its core, a soft hum of uncertainty. The sword though would carry out the law. It was not emotional. It was a manifestation of justice, a sword which contained the fragments of a blade once wielded by the archangel of judgment. 

There was blood buried in El’druin. The sword would uphold the law as long as its weilder had the will to do so.

Tyrael lifted his sword. 

Imperius couldn’t help the tension that rose to his shoulders in anticipation of the blow, gaze fixed ahead. Those final thoughts he grasped onto were not ones of spite, nor anger or hatred. 

Only a sense of peace and satisfaction.

The blade came down.

A horrendous shriek of metal against stone filled the air as El’druin slammed into the ground mere inches away from Imperius’s neck. The archangel of valor jolted, bewildered as he looked up at Tyrael. The archangel of justice was trembling, leaning on the pommel of his weapon, wings pulled tight to his back. His breath was shaky as he clutched the weapon before he let go of it, taking steps back and turning towards the crowd, hands clenched at his sides. 

 

“I will not carry out this execution!” Tyrael declared, “If it goes against our laws and thus I should face condemnation as well, then so be it! Let me die at the side of our king when our laws are unjust, twisted about to be used to condemn only those we hate. That….” Tyrael looked away, “That is not justice and it is not the justice I will uphold.”

Imperius was staring at Tyrael, even as the archangel of justice moved to grab onto his arm, pulling him to his feet, “I’m sorry I’ve been so blind,” he said quietly, “I…I did not wish to see past my own hate. ” Tyrael looked away, “I had forgot what justice was. What is at the very center of my core.” 

“Tyrael…” Imperius just gave a shake of his head, “What are you-“

“Doing what I am best known for,” the archangel of justice drawled, moving to undo Imperius’s bindings, “Completely throwing out the laws of Heaven and standing for what needs to be done.”

That earned a laugh from Imperius, “Is this the part where you rip off your wings?”

“No. This is the time I realize what I am and what my role in Heaven is. I’m the embodiment of justice. If I cannot hold Heaven accountable, if I run from my duties,” he gave a shake of his head, “If I give in to anger, to frustration, and hatred, then I am no better than the evil I wish to contend with.”

“That is all well and good, brother, but you cannot overturn a conviction made by all of Heaven.” a voice drawled.

Imperius looked over to where Inarius stood, the former prisoner’s posture tense, “Malthael should be-“

“Should be let go,” Tyrael retorted, “The crimes of Sanctuary are unforgivable, but they are not crimes I am to judge him for. The souls of the mortals have done that and given him a chance. The crimes you brought up of the past are just as suspect. I’m rather curious how you would even know about an event that took place when we were but mere fledglings barely speaking a few words!”

“If you want to know how, I’ll gladly tell everyone,” Inarius retorted, “That crime is-“

“To be explored and understood completely. In private.” Tyrael growled, wings flaring as he turned towards his brother, “I’m sure Malthael will be forthcoming with information when you aren’t putting every aspect of his life on trial to twist and take apart.”

Inarius shook his head, crossing his arms, “You are not the law, Tyrael.”

“I am not, but I am justice and that is a concept no laws can define clearly,” Tyrael retorted letting the bindings fall to the ground, “And I’m tired of all this hatred and uncertainty in my soul. I’m tired of all the anger in Heaven.”

Imperius rubbed is wrists, his gaze fixed on Inarius for a moment before the turned to address the crowd. This bucking of the rules needed the support of Heaven or else it would fall apart. The heart of Heaven needed to be in this choice.

That, at least, was something Imperius knew how to inspire.

“And I stand by Tyrael’s judgement in this matter,” Imperius began, raising his voice, “and I hope, if you truly care about the core of Heaven, about the ideals we hold dear, that you will stand with us.”

He trailed his gaze over the crowd, “When we stand unified, then there is no power in Hell that will have us come undone. We have let this whole incident split us apart within our host, turning each other against one another.”

There was silence in the crowd for a moment before a murmur begin to build, a tremor of sudden excitement, of the whole scene finally striking a cord which built into a roar. Resonances were singing with agreement. There was a fervor, a brilliant light finally breaking through the storm of disconnect that had started to consume all of Heaven. The feel of it had Imperius’s soul soaring, his shoulders finally slumping. 

It was a siren song of victory, of his own host raising their cries loud to the Heaven, of hope singing and intertwining their melody with the steady hum of fate. Even the thrum of wings from those few angels of wisdom could be heard. 

Only Inarius did not join in, standing back silently, arms still crossed over his chest.

Imperius looked to Tyrael, for the first time feeling a sliver of what they once shared as he moved to put a hand on his shoulder, “It is good to have you back, Tyrael.”

Tyrael let out a quiet laugh as he picked up El’druin, “For now at least. I’m sure in another day or two you’ll find something to dislike me for.”

“Perhaps, but at least for now, I can actually call you brother.” Imperius gave another pat to his shoulder before turning away as the rasp of the gate rising again could be heard.

Imperius’s wings flared as he looked, watching a small figure charge towards him, a blur of of motion that collided into his side with enough force to make Imperius stumble a few steps. The bewildered archangel looked down as Tevar all but wrapped his arms about him, gripping him tightly.

“Tevar-”

“You fucking-“ Tevar choked out, “If you fucking try that ever again, Imperius, I’m going to murder you!” 

“Tevar, I needed to-“

“And if he doesn’t kill you, I’m going to! And then kill everyone else and myself!” another voice snarled.

Imperius grunted as he felt Rakanoth all but tackle him from behind, causing him to stagger and nearly drop to the ground. He turned his head to retort, only for him to let out a squawk of disgust as the demon liberally applied his tongue against his helmet. 

Tevar snickered, peeking up from where he has smashed his face into Imperius’s side, “See? Even Rakanoth would miss you!”

Imperius shook his head, pushing the demon and mortal off him as he staggered forward, tail swishing as he head to the exit of the tower and out of the still public eye of the gathered angels, “Bah, we are wasting time! This trial has already eaten up precious time, let us not draw it out with being so sappy!” He huffed.

Tevar shook his head, falling into step behind him, “It is okay to say you like that we care about you.”

Tyrael shook his head, “Stubborn as always…”

Imperius huffed, stepping under the archway, feeling the air already lighten as other angels began to depart, no doubt to spread news of what happened. The moment Imperius stepped into the chamber of confession, he was once more staggering as Aladria all but latched onto his side, blubbering. Behind her, Itherael shook his head in disbelief. 

“…I could scarcely believe…” the archangel of fate murmured, “But you-“

“I did what I said I would do,” Imperius responded, one hand patting Aladria’s back to comfort her, “No one else needs to die.”

Itherael gave a shake of his head, falling silent and taking a step back as Malthael approached. The dark angel’s shoulders were tensed, a hissing rasp echoing in the air as he came up to Imperius, hands clenched, “Imperius I…” he paused, lifting a clenched fist up as if he meant to hit Imperius, “I could strike you so hard right now for that horrifically stupid, uncalled for act of idiotic bravery!” 

His raised fist trembled before he shook his head, suddenly moving to to wrap Imperius in a hug, causing the archangel of valor’s wings to flare in confusion, “Bless you for being a stupidly brave idiot.” he murmured, “and thank you. For everything. For believing in me.” 

“I told you I would save you,” Imperius responded back, shoulders relaxing as he raised his other hand to pat Malthael’s back, “I do not go back on my word.”

A soft chuckle escaped Malthael as he pulled away, shoulders slumping as the stress of the past few days finally began to bleed out of him, “That you did and I must apologize for ever doubting you. However,” the former archangel of wisdom straightened up, clasping his hands behind his back, cocking his head to the side, “I want you to know, I am not going to let your act of kindness go unpaid. A life for a life. You saved me, and now, it is my turn to help save you.”

“Malthael-“

“I know more about corruption, of the nature of demons and the bridges between good and evil, more so than any angel in Heaven,” Malthael interrupted, with a dip of his head, “I will find a way and if there is no way to find, then I will follow your example and make my own way.”

“And I’ll help him,” Aladria put in, determination filing her red-rimmed eyes, “We’ll find a way.”

Imperius shook his head, “Both of you…”

“Heaven needs you Imperius,” Malthael said, “Do not think your life is insignificant or that you can just go sacrificing yourself. We all need you. Your valor is what holds us together, I hope you can see that.”

Tevar crossed his arms, “And if I can help in any way, even if it is just bringing cookies and tea, I’ll be the best fucking snack bus boy ever!”

Aladria snorted, giving a nudge to Tevar, “As long as you aren’t going to pester us with stupid questions.”

“Only occasionally,” He promised with a wink.

Itherael cleared his throat, looking between Malthael and Imperius, “I do not want to be a stick in the mud but ah, true Malthael is free but, I doubt it will go over well with the majority of Heaven still. It may cause issue. I’m sure some still find him guilty of some crime and of holding too many secrets.”

Imperius snorted, “He’s free, but free on the terms I will be setting. You still committed a crime,” The archangel of valor drawled, “I think a house arrest within the pools of wisdom under constant supervision is fair enough?”

Malthael gave a bow of his head, “I’ll agree to these turns but ah, can we forgo the chains this time?”

“A pity. I would have like to have the chance to chain you up again,”

Imperius looked over, wings flaring at the drawl of the new voice. He turned towards the entrance to the chamber where Oreliphus now stalked towards them, Ignaceus wearily on her heels. Behind the lieutenant, Ira and Samurel followed, the former with a slightly curious lift to her wings, the latter with a more tense stance. 

“I tried to tell her to come back later-” Ignaceus began, tone terse.

“Save it Ignaceus.” Oreliphus interrupted, resting her hands on her hips as she came up to stand before Malthael, “Imperius just said someone is to watch this bastard at all times. I’m volunteering and assigning myself to the job.”

Imperius’s wings flicked out some, “Oh, are you now?” he drawled, “Last I checked-“

“Last I checked, no one else here knows just what they are dealing with. Last I checked, I know Malthael better than any of you,” the wisdom angel retorted, shooting Imperius a look that made him take a step back, “Especially since I’m the one who sang duets with him and produced fledglings. Twice.”

Malthael chuckled, leaning forward, “A pleasure to see you again, Oreliphus. I see you are just as pushy as always.”

“It comes with having to deal with you,” she drawled, crossing her arms, “And I have business to handle in the pools of wisdom that I’ve been dragged from dealing with your affairs, so if you don’t mind, we are leaving. Now.”

“Wait….” Tevar said, looking between the two, “So you are Hadriel’s-“

“What mortals would call a mother equivalent, yes,” She retorted, turning on her heels, “But that is rather unimportant right now. Not when my people are living in a mud pit and I have work to do.”

Malthael clasped his hands behind his back, “Then by all means, lead the way. I am looking forward to seeing if you still have kept your bite.”

That caused Oreliphus to look over her shoulder, wings letting out a rumbling rasp, “It has only grown better with age, you bastard.” she responded, her tone holding a dangerous note of amusement, “I’ll be sure to show you just how much my spite has sharpened it.” 

The former archangel only cocked his head, chuckling some as he followed after the other wisdom angel, shaking his head, but remaining silent. A few steps brought him to walk at her side, both their wings giving slow clicking rasps, perhaps walking far closer together than most other angels did, but then, wisdom angels always had a thing about touching others, even if it was just brief brushes.

Ignaceus sighed, watching the two wisdom angels leave, raising a hand to rub at his right temple, “This day…”

Ira walked them go, her wings flicking some before looking at the others, “So are they a-“

“I think the mortals call it friends with…benefits.” Itherael began slowly, “Aggressive friends with benefits.”

“Oh?” Tevar asked, looking after the two, “But they had angel kids,”

Itherael rubbed the back of his head, “I really am not comfortable talking about ah, Malthael’s….personal life.”

“Why? It isn’t gossip if everyone knows about it.” Tevar said, “I want to know!”

“Me too!” Ira put in quickly, looking away, “Not that I’m, you know, interested in him like that but-”

“Let me put it bluntly then,” Ignaceus interrupted, glancing to Ira and Tevar, “Guard your heart if you want to keep chasing him. There is a trail of broken hearts of angels who wanted to get something from him other than a purely physical relationship. Malthael likes games and a song, but never long-term.” 

Ira huffed, looking away, “Who said I was chasing him?”

“Everyone,” Samurel growled, “You really have hit a new low in terms of standards wanting to duet with a convict.”

“No one asked you, Samurel,” Ira retorted.

The major general only looked away, shoulders tensed, “Commander Ignaceus, sir, permission to be dismissed to my regular duties. I want to get the flights reorganized,” he paused, giving a pointed look at Ira, “And the captains more in line.” 

“Permission granted,” Ignaceus said, ignoring his last statement as he turned to address Ira, “And Captain, I want you to organize the guard for the arch. As luminarei, that is now your first and foremost duty, especially now that we are in Heaven. With all of this trial finally done, we need to get back to a sense of normalcy.”

She nodded, dropping a salute, “of course sir. I’ll have the watch schedule on your desk before the day is over.” 

Ignaceus gave a nod before glancing to Imperius, “I’ll handle the paperwork today sir, but tomorrow, I will not be covering for you.”

“I’ll be there to do my duty,” Imperius said with a sigh, “In fact, you take the day off tomorrow and I’ll handle everything. It is the least I can offer for your help.”

“Please sir, this is my vacation,” Ignaceus said with a chuckle, “With this whole trial over and done with, I can finally breath again, but I will consider the day off.”

With that, he gave a nod before vanishing away. 

Imperius shook his head, one hand moving to rub at the corruption. Tevar reached up to idly grab his hand and pull it down, “So, what should we do?” the mortal asked as he played with the claws on Imperius’s hand, “I say game night. We could play a good game of World Domination: Darkening Age.”

“We should play in teams,” Aladria said with a smile, moving to slip her hand into Itherael’s own, “I mean, we already know certain people are going to work together.” 

“You two can be team nerd, but I’m running solo. Team scoundrel!” Tevar declared, “You joining Imperius? Tyrael? Rakanoth?”

“I can’t play…” Rakanoth drawled, lifting his blades, “I’ll just be Imperius’s support!”

“I suppose I can play with that handicap,” Imperius drawled. 

Tyrael chuckled, giving a shrug, “I’ll join. It can’t be too difficult to win.”

“Oh, oh those are fighting words!” Tevar declared, “Let’s go then! I’m going to be the one to rule all of Sanctuary!”

Imperius chuckled, shaking his head, “Go ahead then and set it up.”

Tevar grinned, looking to Aladria, “Come on then. Where did you store the game?”

The two mortals, Itherael and Tyrael moved off, but Imperius didn’t move to immediately follow them. Rakanoth too did not move, no doubt now more suspicious of his lord doing something rash without supervision. 

“I meant what I said by the way...” the demon growled, “If they would have killed you, I would have attacked everyone.”

“I do not believe that.” Imperius said, reaching a hand up to pat the demon’s jaw, “That would have upset me greatly and you are fond of some of them.”

The demon huffed, leaning into the touch, “...let us not test that theory.” he murmured, “I do not wish to lose anyone else I care for.”

Imperius gave a small nod, glancing over to the side as his tail lashed about slightly, “And don’t think I don’t see you skulking over there, Inarius...” 

The former prisoner chuckled, pushing off the wall he had been leaning against, “Not skulking. Just watching. I know when I’ve been beat and need to hold my tongue and concede.”

“Why do I doubt that?” Imperius drawled, crossing his arms.

Inarius chuckled, stepping closer, “I’ll give you your win, your time to gloat. I know when I’ve lost.” His wings flicked out, as he tilted his head, “I really underestimated you though and honestly, all I can say is well played Imperius. Well played. I’m am...impressed and perhaps I need to think about a few things now myself.”

Imperius snorted and behind him, Rakanoth let out a low rumbling growl of discontent. Inarius just chuckled again, looking between the two before turning on his heels, “Until next time then Imperius. Next time, I’ll be more wary of you.”

“And I’ll nip whatever little plans you have in the bud again and again until you stop wanting to cause trouble,” Imperius responded, “We can play this game for all eternity if you want.”

“I have no doubt,” Inarius’s wings flared open as he took a leap into the air, “And I look forward to each time we meet, dear Imperius.”

Imperius watched him go, giving a shake of his head. Inarius was going to be trouble, but hopefully in time, he would find it in himself to settle down. Perhaps the hope angel assigned to help him work through his trauma would help him.

Maybe.

At least it was a concern that was easier to handle. 

“Come Rakanoth, I believe we have a game to get to,” The archangel of valor said, starting to stalk towards the halls of valor, “And I don’t want to leave them waiting.” 

Rakanoth bared his teeth, lumbering after Imperius, “Of course my lord. Let us destroy all their hope of victory!”

Imperius snorted, but didn’t say anything. For once, his soul was at peace and the corruption felt like a mere rumble far off in the distance. 

He glanced back at the tower of retribution, feeling hope rise in his soul. 

They would start a new Heaven, one not built on bodies, blood, and sacrifice. 

This time, they would build it on the bonds and mercy that truly defined all that was best of Heaven. 

The tower, as always, stood at the start of a new age, looming above all else, but there was a sense of peace to it now, a sudden sigh. There was no blood spilled and something about the place had settled. Perhaps all this time the structure had been wanting free of the cycle it started. 

Imperius let out a hum, tilting his head as he took in the tower, “What do you think Rakanoth? Is this place to your liking?”

The lord of despair cocked his head, looking about, “To be honest, it is,” he admitted, “The build of it is more to my liking, although there are a few things I personally would want to change.”

“Then change them as you please. I give you the whole tower. I do not think we need to use it for executions ever again.” Imperius said with a shrug, wings spreading in anticipation of flight, “Redecorate the whole thing, smash in the statues and make your own. It is yours.”

Rakanoth perked up, looking about some, “Oh yes my lord, I have many plans for this place!” the demon said with a cackle, “Just wait until I tell Tevar! He will no doubt wish to aid me in my endeavors!”

Imperius could only chuckle some before he took to the air, rising up and away from the tower. 

It was a new start for everyone. 

It was the start of a new Heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping no one saw this twist happen, but it is one that had to happen because well....bad has to give way to good feels = w = Sometimes the good things DO triumph in life from time to time c: 
> 
> Anyways, that concludes this arc...and now we getting into the finding Auriel arc! The feels, good and bad, are gonna be rolling!


	26. Intricacies

Everything felt surreal in the days following the trials. A storm had come and went, breaking to allow a sense of calm to replace the stress and anxiety that had settled within every resonance around Imperius. Within the week, the hosts had settled once more and there was, at last, a strange sense of normalcy almost. 

It was a sense of familiarity that Imperius had once thought boring and would try to fill with some sort of action, not content to sit still. 

Now there, there was a welcomed reprieve to it all and even if paperwork was a still a detestable, unconquerable for that forever leered at him from upon his desk, Imperius would rather doing that than trials and executions.

The archangel of valor looked up from the report he had been reading, glancing about the room in a brief reprieve from reading about the supposed movement of demon lords. The office had changed some, become more formal with décor more fitting of Heaven, a few new tapestries that had been woven by one of the angels of hope that documented the triumph of the execution. Even if he had to keep from rubbing a hand over the corruption at seeing how he was depicted now, looking more demon than angel.

A sobering reminder of his condition, but perhaps for future generations, to see him as such would be a grim lesson of how anyone could fall to demonic taint. 

His gaze slipped from the decorations on the wall to the desks in the room, although, the only angel there was his second-in-command, Ignaceus sitting off to the right. The other high officers were out on reacon missions or directing training. His Lieutenant-general was dutiful and methodical as ever, completing each bit of paperwork on his own desk with an ease that Imperius envied. 

By the fall of twilight, Ignaceus would be finished. By the fall of twilight, Imperius knew he would be dropping his completed stack on his desk to await his final approval and signature. At this point Imperius was wondering if the mortals had invented a way to make this all easier. Maybe something in that strange technology Itherael had started to use…

He shook his head before picking up the report, letting out a sigh as he sat back in his chair, his tail swishing back and forth idly behind him, “ “Our scouts are reporting on a lot of demonic movement. Is this unusual for the time?” He asked, glancing to his second-in-command.

Ignaceus glanced up before sitting back himself, reaching up to stroke his chin, “It is unusual for it to be this obvious,” He said at length, “They are far more subtle as they work hard to keep up the appearance of normalcy so the mortals aren’t aware of their existence. I can only assume they might be trying to bait us into an attack.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Imperius murmured, “We have had no real presence in Sanctuary since the facility raid. I suppose our sudden silence is making them antsy.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. The demons of Hell are far more impatient, more prone to mistakes,” Ignaceus responded, glancing to the archangel, “They have lost their fear of Heaven and in turn, lost the edge of caution that once made demon lords very formidable. Only the very ancient retain that wariness. And they are a mere handful now” 

Imperius’s wings flicked about thoughtfully as he looked over the paperwork about his desk, “How many ancient demons remain?”

“Hard to say. Some have gone to Hell and don’t come out, like Rakanoth. We had no idea he was alive,” Ignaceus stated, rubbing his chin, “Honestly, the only confirmation on demon lords is that many of them were killed by Mephisto, even rumors that he did in his own brothers….the only one I can confirm for sure is Belial is alive.”

“Belial?” Imperius shook his head, “What is your proof?”

“The lord of lies nearly blew Hell’s cover in a spat that had the nephelem hunting him across Sanctuary. Slippery bastard though. Managed to elude Mephisto’s kill squad. He is still actively being hunted so I suppose they haven’t managed to catch him or those few demons loyal to him yet,” Ignacues said with a shrug.

Ignaceus’s mention of the nephelem brought a troubled note to the archangel’s resonance as he leaned back in his chair more. He recalled the nepehelm that had been at the facility, the amount of power they wielded on par with that of Tyrael’s champions long ago. It was something that had been troubling the archangel of valor, especially given how starved of power Sanctuary had become. The emergence of a nephelem should be almost impossible save for those that were first generation it seemed.

Just the fact Mephisto had recruited nephelem to his cause once more was worrisome. Especially when they maintained a mortal persona rather than falling to demonic corruption like the morlu.

 

“How many nephelem work for Mephisto?” Imperius asked quietly.

Ignaceus glanced at Imperius before letting out a sigh, wings drooping,“More than I would like to admit,” the lieutenant-general responded grimly, “Most mortals that show potential for nephelem abilities get rounded up and taken by the puppet organizations the lord of hatred controls. Trains them and indoctrines each one personally and those that don’t fall in line are exterminated.”

He paused, wings pulling in a bit tighter, “A lot of those nephelem were children of angels who fell to become mortal themselves or who conceived children with mortals. Few do so now less their children be molded to Mephisto’s dark will now.” He looked over to Imperius, “A few though do slip under the radar, those with late developing potential or a very small spark of ability at the time like Tevar and Aladria,”

Imperius nodded, holding back a small shudder at the thought of so many of his kin no doubt watching in horror as their children, their essence, was warped and twisted into dark soldiers for Mephisto. A psychological battle to break will just as surely as having to fight a nephelem at all after Tyrael had created so many heroes of their kind. 

“Is there any way to avoid fights with them?”

Ignaceus gave a shake of his head, “They are more common to encounter than demon lords once you start getting into mortal territory. No doubt where Auriel is being held is going to be crawling with his most powerful nephelem. We are going to end up fighting them and that is a hard battle,” the lieutenant-general gave a shake of his head, “Most battles against them though have ended in defeat, capture, or retreat. We have simply learned how to run if we hope to fight Hell another day.”

That prospect had Imperius’s wings tensing. In the past, he would have relished testing his might against the nephelem, but now, with so much to lose and knowing how powerful their foe was, it was just making the situation on Sanctuary feel all the more daunting. 

It seemed that Sanctuary was becoming the new Pandemonium for the eternal conflict, although a war of more subtle movements and small clashes. Once more nephelem were both a curse and a blessing to be had. 

“We will continue to retreat then and avoid confrontation with these dark nephelem at all costs then,” Imperius murmured, “Only until we have a means to confront them on even footing.” 

Ignaceus gave a nod, “Hopefully some potential strategy will emerge. Having Heaven to retreat to and to be able to rest and research our options rather than just keeping a few steps ahead of their grasp does help. Not to mention with the archives restored and-”

Whatever thoughts the lieutenant-general was about to put forth were interrupted by the office door slamming open, punctuated by the loud near shouts of a heated argument that came crashing into the room. Imperius had went to his feet, irritation flaring up first only to be replaced by confusion as he watched Samurel and Ira enter, acting more like a pair of fledglings shoving at one another and trying to speak over the other. Ignaceus had remained seated, his resonance one of resigned weariness, as if the situation unfolding before them was all too familiar of late. 

“Commander sir! You need to do something about the captain, she is-”

“Mind your own business! I’m doing my duty! You are the one sticking your nose in my-”

“You are barely at the arch guarding it! You are suppose to-”

“I don’t have to stare at the arch every damn minute! It isn’t like it is going to walk off or-”

“Both of you, at attention!” 

The sudden, quick command from Ignaceus had both arguing angels falling into rank, heels snapping together on instinct and giving at salute, other hand in a fist behind their back. The lieutenant-general eyed the two, slowly rising to his feet. 

“Now, major general Samurel and captain Sheragail, what is it exactly that has the two of you bursting in here?” Ignaceus asked, his tone level, “And it have better be important.”

Imperius’s wings flicked before he moved to sit back down, watching the situation, but letting his lieutenant-general handle it. More out of the fact he seemed to know exactly what was going on and always had more patience for such minor feuds in the rants. 

 

“I was doing my rounds of the captains, making sure everything was in line and the captain here was not at her pot when I came by!” Samurel began, pointing over at Ira, “The captain of lumenrai was not at her post and had one of her petty officers overseeing things!”

“And I wasn’t aware I had to pull a double shift when on my submitted reports, it clearly states my shift at the guard had just ended and I stood relieved,” Ira snapped, “On the permission of the lieutenant-general!” She gestured over at him, wings flaring dismissively, “He’s just trying to pick a fight of late with me!” 

Ignaceus let out a soft sigh, “Samurel, I did send you a copy of the shift roster, yes?”

“I received the copy, yes and she was not yet relieved. She had twenty minutes left,” He responded tersely. 

“Twenty- are you just trying to have me bury your nitpicking ass into the foundation of Heaven?” Ira snapped, wings flaring and exposing the streak of grey within the wings, “Because if you keep running your mouth-”

“You’ll what?” Samurel snap, “Punch another superior officer in the face? Show that you have no control of your temper? Acting like a demon rather than an angel all the time?!”

The comment was very barbed. Imperius could tell that from a mile away. The comment had Ira flinching, just a moment before she was clenching her hands into fists and taking a step towards Samurel, “You’re right, I’m not going to punch you in the face,” she responded, voice far too cheerful now, “I’m going to rip your armor off and beat you with it!” 

Samurel didn’t even flinch, turning towards her, wings tensed high, ready for a fight, “Go ahead then! I’ll pluck your wings like the squawking hen you are!” 

“Both of you stand down. Now.” Ignaceus snapped, “The two of you have been at each other’s throat for the past five days and frankly at this point, I’m getting sick of it.”

“He is the one starting it, always finding fault in everything I do of late!” Ira growled, “I have done nothing but my duty.”

“Yes, if your duty was trying to stalk Malthael,” Samurel sneered, “With how infatuated you are, might as well go become a wisdom angel.”

“Maybe I will if it means getting away from you!” Ira spat in return.

Samurel only huffed, looking away, arms crossed, “Good! Maybe you’ll fit better in with their kind since you don’t seem to even care a bit about anything that a valor angel should hold dear and find comfort in murderers!” 

Ira’s wings flared and she took a few more steps towards Samurel, wings flaring more and a trail of smoke starting to fizzle out of her frame, “Listen here you-”

“And that is enough from both of you!” 

It was rare to hear Ignaceus shout. He did not often raise his voice but when he did, it always called the room to silence. It was a loud, booming sound, cold and without any inflection like being doused in ice. There was also an underlying wave of danger that promised he was in no mood to hear a single word more. It was enough to have Ira and Samurel snapping back to attention, completely rigid like a couple of new recruits that just got called out.

Ignaceus clasped his hands behind his back as he came stalking over to them, wings arched and flared, showing more of the twisting fire that flared and sparked off them. He came to a halt before the two, leaning forward until he was mere inches from Samurel’s face “Ira stands relieved, as her shift is over. You are nitpicking Samurel and being entirely unreasonable and it is clear you are targeting her. You either stop or I will have you relieved, do I make myself, major-general?”

“Crystal clear sir,” Samurel murmured, avoiding eye contact.

“And Sheragai,"” Ignaceus began, causing the captain to tense up that little bit more, “You have been skirting the authority of your superiors of late and I am well aware of you punching one of them in the face. You need to control your temper and stop rising to bait like you are back in the training yards. If someone is throwing barbs, learn to keep it verbal or I’ll have you also relieved of your post. Do I make myself clear?”

“Of course sir. It won’t happen anymore sir,” Ira said quickly.

Ignaceus took a step back, looking between the both of them, hands still clasped behind his back, “Both of you need to sort out whatever issues you have or I’m going to sort it out and I do not think you want that. If you can’t get along, keep your distance.”

There was a murmured “yes sir” from both, although both their resonances were filled with discontent and swirls of emotions that made it hard to pinpoint what exactly was even going on. Ignaceus looked at the two before waving his hand with a sigh, “Stop coming to me to sort out your squabbles. If you two come to me, one more time this week, to sort this out...”

He trailed off, letting the threat hang in the air before he turned on his heels, starting to walk back to his desk, “Well, let us just say neither of you will be pleased.” 

The two gave a silent nod and salute. Ignaceus glanced over his shoulder, “You are dismissed.”

The two were hasty to drop a salute and leave, but not before looking at the other with a tremble of discontent to their resonance before they stalked off in separate directions, not about to give Ignaceus reason to chew them out again so soon.

Imperius crossed his arms as he took his seat again, cocking his head, “...is this common?”

“Actually? No.” Ignaceus said, moving to take his own seat again, “True they have never gotten along entirely, but they were never outright hostile like this. This….this is very new.”

“Huh,” Imperius looked to where the two had left, “Given how they were acting, I was under the assumption they hated each other.”

“Not really. They’ve been rivals of sorts since they met,” Ignaceus explained, “They are one grade level apart, Samurel being older, and ever since they met, they’ve been going at it, but again, nothing outright hostile,” 

Imperius’s wings flicked out, “Oh?”

“Mostly pranks. Well, Ira pulling the pranks and Samurel managing to never fall for them, leading to her getting frustrated and then him getting frustrated at her for trying to prank him, leading to squabbles and fights, but ultimately pushed them both to try and outdo the other,” Ignaceus chuckled, “It lit a fire under Ira though. She was always a bright student, but after meeting Samurel, she was suddenly driven to claw her way to the top of the ranks, the two going through obstacles neck and neck, training to out do the other….but it was friendly. They used to throw comments, but there was no malice to it. It was rather normal for any valor angel and their rival.” 

The archangel of valor gave a nod, “It sounds normal. Having a rival is a good thing, a goal to strive for. Both of them have become fine officers, even despite this sudden bickering as well.” 

“Indeed.” Ignaceus said with a chuckle, “In fact, if anything were to happen to me, I state it here now, that Samurel would be the one I would pick to replace me.”

Imperius looked over at him, cocking his head, “Even though he and Ira are fighting like fledglings in the training grounds?”

“Even so. He’s hot-headed, but so were we for a long time. He is level headed in situations, keeps things organized and orderly, just needs to work on finding his legs for high command, but that is something only experience teaches. I’m sure he will fullfill expectations if he had to take my post,” Ignaceus said with a nod.

“Still, issues with other officiers of that degree do not fill me with confidence at your pick, Ignaceus,” Imperius murmured.

“I would agree if the issue between was, well, not to sound rude, but it is very temporary. One that will heal with time in the coming months at least,” Ignaceus murmured, “I assure you, the cause of their strife is not a difference of opinion or a need to push against authority or a dominance trip.” 

The archangel of valor cocked his head, tail swishing back and forth, “Do you know what is causing the strife?”

That earned a quiet, weary laugh from his second-in-command, “Perhaps the oldest reason in the book for sudden animosity and desire to spite venom,” he put a hand over his chest, “A broken heart.”

“A broken -” Imperius paused, wings flaring, “Oh….so he’s-” 

“Mmhmm.” Ignaceus said with a nod. 

Imperius winced a bit, “Ah. That does explain the comments about Malthael...”  
“Five hundred years of pursuit only for them to want another. Perhaps longer. He always was the one to stand up for her when others would tease her about...the off-note of her resonance, “Ignaceus let out a sigh, “Often got himself into trouble picking odd fights with others for no reason, only for me to be told it was because said angel said something to Ira earlier. That is why these comments about her are...so unusual for him.”

Imperius sighed, “It seems to be the nature of our host to meet hurt with spite...”

“Mmm. Just the pangs of love wanted, pursued, and lost before it was known,” Ignaceus said softly, “A story you and I both are familiar with no?”

Imperius looked away. It was a story he knew of course. It was the same story he shared with Tyrael and his ill-fated feelings for the other archangel that went up in flames and had smoldered to ash to be swept away. Even now, the pain of that hurt flavored their relationship but it hurt less each day. A strange numbness had settled in his soul, an absent of feeling where once there was so much. 

A strange sensation as if he had lost something and waiting to have it filled again. 

It was not something Imperius wanted to be reminded of or speak of. 

The archangel glanced over to where Ignaceus had quietly pulled another report closer, hunching over with a note of sorrow creeping into his resonance. The archangel felt a sense of guilt creep into his soul. His experience with Tyrael hurt, but he could only imagine the pain Ignaceus had gone through. 

Imperius looked away, picking at the corner of the report before him, “I’m sorry for the part I played in your own story of loss.” he finally murmured, “Especially when it was at my hands, that you lost someone so dear to you.”

That earned a quiet, weary laugh from Ignaceus as he shook his head, “If you speak of Balzael, I hold you in no contempt for his death,” his hands curled into a fist against the report, his voice growing softer, “He was already no longer the man I loved by then. Time changes people sometimes,”

Imperius fell silent, sympathy burning in his soul as he reached out to put a hand on his second-in-command’s shoulder, “I’m still sorry.”

“I suppose one of us has to be,” Ignaceus responded quietly, “He didn’t...use to be so black and white, so bent on death. He was once a very charismatic soul with a beautiful laugh. Dutiful, but kind. Always pestering me to take breaks. Outright stealing paperwork to force me to rest.” he trailed off ,staring ahead, “A true romantic, if you can believe it.”

There was a wistfulness to his soul, those nostalgic memories still ringing pleasantly, although now tinged with sadness knowing where it would all lead.

“We were together for a long time before he started to drift away and grow cold. Before he became enraptured with Urzael and Malthael’s words,” Ignaceus looked down at his hands, “I suppose I threw myself into my work after he left. There was nothing else to focus on. Everything else was touched with his memory, of our memory.”

“You deserve someone better,” Imperius responded quietly, “Someone else who would have treasured you more,”

 

Ignaceus fell silent, giving a shake of his head as he picked up his quill, “Love is a battle I fought and lost and I’ve got scars too deep to try again. I had my time in the sun and perhaps that is where I am a coward in fearing I will just go through it again.” 

Imperius glanced away, “It is not being a coward to not want to be hurt,” he murmured, “But it seems...almost sad to give up entirely.”

“Maybe. Mabye it is, but really, I feel I’m far past my prime for dating and love.” he said with another weary chuckle, “I do not think many would want to waste time with a weary workaholic like myself. I had my time, my happiness,” the second-in-command glanced over towards Imperius, “But seems you are working to kindle a new romance of late.”

“What are you talking about?” Imperius grumbled, shoulders hunching, “There is no romance being kindled.”

“Ah, so you and Rakanoth-”

“Are at most comrades.” Imperius snapped, feeling a heat rise to his armor, “And that is that.”

“If you say so sir.” 

Imperius huffed, shaking his head, “All that aside, should you not do something for those two?”

“Hmm?” Ignaceus glanced over, cocking his head, “Who?”

Imperius gestured to the now closed door, “Those two that came in here,” he growled, “Should you not try to council them the reason for their strife? I thought, in fact, you adopted Ira after Balzael passed.”

Ignaceus paused before shaking his head, “I raised her yes. No one else would. You know how angels feel about flaws in fledglings...but Balzael loved her and even if we drifted apart, I will always honor the angel he was,” he said quietly, “I raised her and I let her pick her own path in life. I offered guidance when necessary, but in this situation? It is her choice who to pursue, even if I do not approve for personal reasons. And as for Samurel...”

Ignaceus gave a shrug, “ Love is a lesson to learn. If she is off to pursue another and he’s set on giving up and dropping centuries worth of pursuit and nurse the hurt, then he will have to learn to deal with that pain better and learn to move on and let go.”

The archangel glanced to Ignaceus, tail going still, “Even if they keep fighting?”

“The pain numbs after a bit. Trust me,” Ignaceus said quietly, “It numbs out and you see them with someone else and it doesn’t even hurt anymore. Just a raw sort of empty feeling. But he’s still young by the standard of our people. Young and has a lot of admirers who will no doubt see him sulking and be quick on the rebound. I give it a year before some other angel of valor or hope has him wrapped up in their wings and singing a duet.” 

Imperius’s wings twitched, “I get a sense you have not a high opinion of love.” 

“Personally, it is a tragedy that has brought the worse sort of misery upon me,” Ignaceus drawled, “My best advice is to avoid it and take up a pet. Celibacy is its own reward.” 

“So what you are saying is I shouldn’t try to set you up with anyone eh?”

Ignaceus glanced up slowly, “If you do sir, I promise you I will take a whole month off my duty and make sure there is stack of paperwork high enough to be used as a stairwell to the top of the arch itself.”

Imperius snorted, “dully noted, lieutenant. Dully noted.” 

 

The archangel shifted in his seat some, looking down at the report, unable to focus on it. Ignaceus words were gnawing at him, not so much his opinions on love, but more his small comment about his relationship with Rakanoth.

The demon and him had...shared a moment of course, but it was in a moment of weakness, just a need to escape during a very stressful moment. They weren’t anything more than that. He respected the demon, true, more than he should respect a demon. Had let Rakanoth get close. The demon was terribly protective of him-

He let out a sigh, raising a hand to rub at his temples as he rose to his feet, “I think I’m done for today. There are some things I want to check on.” 

“Oh? Like what?” Ignaceus asked, glancing up. 

“The tower of retribution renovations for one. I’ve heard there has been quiet a ruckus over there,” Imperius murmured, “The wisdom angels are complaining.”

“Ah. To see Rakanoth then?” Ignaceus asked, his tone slightly amused, “your comrade right?”

Imperius shot Ignaceus a look, raising a hand to rub at the corruption on his chest before looking away with a sigh, shoulders slumping, “I don’t know,” he admitted, “I think I’m losing my mind at times.”

“A classic symptom of love yes?” 

Imperius felt a flush, rise again, sighing, “What would you do?”

“What would I do? I wouldn’t be in this situation to start with,” Ignaceus said flatly, “But if I was….”

He trailed off, looking down at the report, “I think I would rather try than live life in regret not knowing what could have happened. Not again.” 

Imperius was silently, clawed fingers playing over the grooves of the corruption on his chest before starting to move towards the door, “I will see you tomorrow then.”

“At the usual time sir. At the usual place,” Ignaceus said with a wave of his hand, “Have a good evening sir.”

Imperius gave a nod, “You as well.”

He took a step, vanishing away to the tower of retribution. Or more accurately, what was left of the structure. The whole place was torn up now, the lord of despair having committed himself to diligently remodeling to his personal tastes and creating a proper lair. Imperius side-stepped large chunks of rock that had been upended and the headless statues of angels that lay scattered in pieces down the path. Even the front gate had ben pushed out, metal and stone nearly blocking off the entrance. 

The interior was even more gutted, the floor ripped up and any signs of bloodshed having been removed, as if the demon wanted none of the old blood to remain. Perhaps it was a matter of pride where he would prefer any blood spilled at his own claws. Whatever the case, Imperius found himself needing to fly more to avoid the mess of debris and ripped up flooring just to navigate the place.

Despite the mess though, it was relatively easy to find Rakanoth given the loud crashing of stone that nealry drowned out the wailing of mortal music that echoed in the heart of this place. Imperius stepped out to where the main execution platform, pausing on the lip of a huge carved out basin. Rakanoth was hunched over within the dug out hole, the blades of his arms screeching as he dragged them over stone, cutting away jagged points to smooth the stone down. 

Tevar sat on the edge of the hole, swinging his legs, a strange device at his side the source of the music. The mortal glanced up with a grin and a nod to Imperius, “Come to see how Rakanoth’s swimming pool is going?”

“Swimming pool?” Imperius asked, looking down to where the demon was working.

“Of course! I want a place to soak that isn’t all muddy or gross or not pleasing!” Rakanoth snapped, “All your pools in Heaven are either fountains or aesthetic things, not measured out correctly! There is no where to swim but soon, soon I will have my pool of despair!”

“I didn’t know you liked to swim,” Imperius admitted.

Tevar snorted, “Imperius, he looks like a shark. I think it is rather obvious he likes water.”

“And I need it! I must need it!” Rakanoth groaned, pausing in his work, “I am flaking! Drying up! My skin is peeling off so horribly!”

Imperius cocked his head as he watched the demon begin to rub his head against the side of the pool, groaning. Chunks of scale were coming off and in general, the pallor of the demon seemed off. Rakanoth’s colors were a dark grey stretched over twisted growths and muscles hidden beneath the armor of hell. Now though, the grey had lightened considerably, almost chalk white in places like a skeleton left out in the sun for far too long. 

The demon let out another groan, now turning around to rub his back against the wall, hissing, “Everything itches and it is unberable!”

Tevar let out a sigh, shaking his head in response as he glanced up at Imperius, “I told him I can go get him like a hundred bottles of lotion to rub over his skin condition and see if that helps, but he just snarled at me,” the mortal drawled, “You know what is going on?”

“I don’t,” Imperius admitted, with a shake of his head, “I am not all too familiar with...demonic biology. I killed them, I didn’t really try to understand them.”

“Well, something is wrong, that is for sure.” Tevar murmured, pointing at Rakanoth, “Don’t think his skin should be slogging off like..well...that.”

Imperius looked over to the demon, wings flaring a bit in concern as a large chunk of scale broke off to crash to the ground, a strange faintly glowing blue licked trickling from where the skin once was. That was not normal for a demon and he idly wondered if being in heaven was starting to harm the demon.  
The constant exposure to holy energy couldn’t be good for an unholy creature and Rakanoth had been exposing himself to it far more often than not. 

Perhaps he was suffering some sort of ill-effect?

“We should consult Itherael about this,” Imperius said, crossing his arms, “Some tomes in the library may tell us what is happening.” 

The lord of despair grunted as he continued to rub his back against the wall, “Itherael? What would they know? And why would they help? I am not even allowed to breath in the direction of their precious archives without them glaring!”

“Then wait outside and I’ll go in and ask him.” Imperius growled, crossing his arms, “And there might be a book on the subject we can consult-”

“Ah yes, an angel has a book about demons,” Rakanoth retorted, “Please Imperius-”

“We can at least try,” Imperius snapped back, “Or do you want to continue rubbing yourself against everything you see and shedding your disgusting scales all over the place like a bad case of mortal lice?!” Imperius snapped. 

Tevar arched an eyebrow, “….you know about lice?”

“Mortals were far more disgusting thousands of years ago in the middle of battle,” Imperius responded tersely, “And I do not want to get into how I learned about many of those unsavory conditions mortals develop from being dirty creatures.” 

Rakanoth huffed, slowly slinking forward and climbing out of the nearly finished pool, “Fine. I will wait outside so they are given no reason to start chewing me out,” the demon grumbled, “Fussy old bookkeeper acts like I ransacked his library...I just held Auriel there! I didn’t even touch the damned books.”

Imperius bit back a sigh, not in the mood to explain to Rakanoth the fact Auriel was bound in the library at all was the sticking point, not damage done to the structure. Doing that now would be a waste of breath given how agitated the demon already was. The archangel of valor merely put a hand on Tevar’s shoulder, glancing down.

“I suppose you are coming with us?”

“Of course! I want to help solve the mystery!” The mortal declared, hastily picking up his music device and turning it off, “Off to the land of nerds then!” 

Imperius gave a nod before he vanished again, appearing in the library, and then immediately having regrets as whatever greeting he had died in his throat. Not like anyone would have heard the greeting given that currently Aladria and Itherael seemed to be arguing rather loudly. 

“I’m sorry I’m trying to do some research and work and it is taking time away from both of us, but it is important to me! I don’t need to be constantly babysat!”

“I don’t mind the research! I understand getting lost in a pursuit! But Malthael….Malthael is not right in the head! I am just worried about you!”

“He’s my grandfather!”

“And that means probably about as much to him as the fact Hadriel is born of his resonance!”

Tevar cleared his throat loudly, bringing the argument to a halt, “Are we ah, interrupting something?”

Aladria’s face was red, a clear sign she was irritated, but she managed to force a smile, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear, “Nothing. Just….a discussion. A little bit of disagreement.”

“A little bit of disagreement….” Itherael grumbled, turning on their heels, “Oh yes, let’s just call it that! Brush it off like everything else!”

“I’m not brushing anything off! I just don’t see this being as big as a concern as you are making it!” She shouted at the retreating back of the archangel of fate. 

There was no response from Itherael other than a slam of the door to his personal study, sealing them away from the rest of Heaven for as long as their temper stewed. A frustrated sigh escaped Aladria as she rubbed a hand over her face, shaking her head before glancing over at Imperius and Tevar, “Sorry you had to see that..”

“Hey, its fine. Love and relationships are all about a few bumpy points,” Tevar said, raising his hands, “And I’m sure you two will work it out.”

“We will. Eventually. They are just having trouble trusting Malthael and don’t...like me near him. I understand their concerns but,” She gave a shake of her head, “He is family now and I want to help with the research he’s doing. It is important, for all of us.”

“I’m sure Ithereael understands that,” Imperius murmured, “But to be fair, he and Malthael never got along entirely. Auriel was sort of the...balancing factor between them.”

“Surprised the nerds aren’t best friends,” Tevar commented.

“Itherael was studious, Malthael well, most of his schooling was finding out the best way to cheek tests and then selling that for information from other fledglings,” Imperius murmured, “Itherael was often roped unwillingly into his schemes to work the system.” 

Aladria sighed, giving a reluctant nod, “That is pretty much what they were telling me but..we need to work together, more than ever.”

“Yeah but, didn’t we come here for their help and now they are sulking?” Tevar asked.

Imperius gave a shrug, “Bad timing is all, but I’m sure one of the other archangels of fate could help...”

“Oh? Looking for something specific?” Aladria asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Looking for a book on demon biology to figure out why Rakanoth is suddenly shedding,” Tevar said, “You know of any books?”

Aladria’s shoulder slumped, “The archive has a lot of resources on demons sure, but it is all about the kinds of demons document, vague history, lots of speculations, and most of it on how to kill a demon,” she murmured with a shake of her head, “I was looking for those very books before with little luck as a means of researching corruption.”

Imperius sighed, shoulder’s slumping, “Ah. I suppose that is to be expected.”

“No books here, true,” Aladria began, already brightening up, “But Malthael would know. He actually knows quiet a lot about demons beyond the books. Perhaps he knows of what is going on?”

Tevar gave a shrug, “Worth a shot. Imperius?”

The archangel of valor’s wings flicked with thought before he nodded, “We will ask him then.”

“I will go with you. I need some...space myself. Time to cool off.” She murmured, glancing over her shoulder in the direction Itherael had gone, “Then come back to sort this out.”

Imperius gave a nod, looking to Tevar, “Tell Rakanoth to meet us at Malthael’s study.” 

“Got it. I’ll go inform talk, dark, and flaky,” Tevar said, turning on his heels to jog to the entrance to the archive. 

Imperius moved to put his hand on Aladria,, quickly jumping again to appear in the hall of Malthael’s citadel. The place was still a ruin and perhaps even messier than before as the hallway was now filled with thrown out bookshelves and tables as the former archangel of wisdom started to reorganize his old haunt. 

It also turned the place into a labyrinth of discarded furniture and decore that had Imperius having to slide between bookcases sideways just to reach the entrance to Malthael’s study. Aladria had an easier time navigating the tight spaces, giving Imperius a few playful shoves when he was having trouble squeezing through. 

Eventually though, the two reached the entrance to the study and Imperius had to stop, wings flicking before he sighed, crossing his arms.

 

“Is today just the day of couples, or am I destined to walk in on everyone?”

Malthael glanced up from where he had been leaning up against Oreliphus’ back, wings tangled with hers as the two were looking over something together, “Ah, Imperius, a pleasure as always,” Malthael said, making no move to step away from the other wisdom angel, “And to put your irritations to rest, we were merely discussing something.”

Just some casual conversation,” Oreliphus put in, not looking up from whatever they had been looking at.

“Discussing something,” Imperius said flatly, before shaking his head, “If I can pull you from your discussion, may I beseech you for a question?”

Malthael cocked his head as he stepped away from Oreliphus the other wisdom angel glancing over briefly before giving a rasp of her wings and returning to the notes she was reading over. 

“Oh? A soul in search of answers?” Malthael asked, leaning against the table, crossing his arms, “Stay a while then and I’ll listen well to your inquiries.” 

“It concerns Rakanoth,” Imperius began, glancing away, “The demon has-”

The archangel of valor jumped, wings flared as Rakanoth all but crashed down next to him, Tevar quickly sliding off his back with a look of disgust and brushing furiously at his clothes, “Not fucking bad? Rakanoth! I just touched you for a second and I’m covered in your shedding like a fucking cat!” 

Rakanoth huffed, giving a shake of his body and sending a cascade of brittle, grey scales onto the ground, “I warned you!”

Malthael cocked his head, looking at the mess on the floor, “Ah. I can see what you are probably going to ask about.”

Imperius gave a nod, looking at the mess as well and cringing somewhat, “It seems to be getting worse, whatever it is.”

“Well, calm yourself dear Imperius. Your demonic lover is not dying or drying up into a mummy and really, it is nothing to really be concerned about,” Malthael said with a dismissive wave of his hand and already turning around “Give it another week or month and it will all clear up.” 

Imperius’s wings flared, “That is not an answer Malthael!” He growled, “What is going on?”

Malthael didn’t turn around, leaning down next to Oreliphus who passed him over a quill without the two exchanging words, “He’s just ascending is all. Honestly, surprised you didn’t realize that.” the former archangel said as he started to jot down notes. 

“Ascending?” Aladria asked, moving up beside the two, peering down at what the two angels were working on.

 

“Ascending?” Rakanoth echoed, tone confused, “What in Diablo’s asshole is that?”

The former archangel glanced back at the demon before looking down to Aladria and then returning to his notes, “Just as there is a way for angels to fall and become demons, there is a way for demons to ascend and become angels. The later process though is rare and hasn’t occurred since the time of Magtherius.” 

Rakanoth was baring his teeth, letting out a slight hiss, “I’m not turning into an angel!”

Malthael glanced back, slowly tilting his head before starting to stalk over to the demon, “Oh really? I would like to argue the contrary.” 

Before Rakanoth could even speak, the former archangel had side-stepped around him, all but climbing up his back to his shoulders and digging both hands just under the shoulder blade. 

Imperius jumped, wings flared in alarm, especially when Rakanoth began to howl and buck, “Malthael what are you-”

“A moment.” Malthael grunted before wrenching off a large chunk of brittle skin, “I’m making a point.”

The archangel of valor felt an angry retort buidling in his chest, although whatever he was going to say died in his throat as Malthael dropped the scales to the side to reveal what had been underneath. 

Glowing dark teal tendrils, webbed together like the fins of fish began to rise up and moving about sporadically in agitation. Malthael slid down off the back of the demon, idly brushing his hands together to dust off the scales, “And that is my proof that he is, indeed ascending.” 

Tevar blew a low whistle, “Well...I’ll be damned. Angel shark.” 

Rakanoth snarled, quickly turning around to gnash his fangs in front of the former archangel’s face. Malthael didn’t move a muscle, merely clasping his hands behind his back, “What is the matter now, demon?” 

“What did you do?” Rakanoth snarled, “What did you do to my back!?”

“He seemed to have found some ah...wings on your back.” Tevar murmured. 

“You lot seem to enjoy making me repeat myself,” Malthael drawled as he stepped about Rakanoth to move back to his desk, “He is ascending. Think of it as a painful molt. His new angelic form is growing under his demonic skin as his soul changes, starting to resonate with the arch.” 

Rakanoth went still before starting to quickly try and look over his shoulder, turning circles in vain to try and see the tiny wings that were continuing to jerk about on his back, “This can’t be right...demons don’t ascend!”

“They do. They have. You are,” Malhael said with a wave of his hand, “And there is no stopping it now. As surely as demonic corruption eats an angel from the inside out, the light of the arch has already re-shaped you from your core.” 

Aladria’s brow furrowed, rubbing her chin thoughtfully before glancing up at Malthael, “So, let’s say a corrupt angel falls and becomes completely demonic? Is there a way for them to-”

“They cannot ascend, no. It is...complicated.” Malthael paused, head cocked before he spoke again, “Fallen angels are immune to the touch of the light as they were born of it. It can no longer touch them. The same for ascended demons. Once completed, the energy of the arch and the void cannot be used.”

“But the energy of something else can be used?” Aladria asked. 

Malthael chuckled, “Now you are catching on,” He said, moving to lean over his notes again, picking up his quill and looking over the document.

Oreliphus reached over a hand to grip his wrist, pushing over to where he had left off without looking up from what she was reading, wings giving a slight rasp which Malthael’s own returned before he started to write again. The other wisdom angel snorted, shaking her head, “...scatter brain.”

“I like to call it multi-tasking,” Malthael returned, tone amused, “Multi-tasking on a dozen thoughts at once.” 

She snorted shaking her head before picking up her own quill to cross out a word, “You misspelled Mephisto.”

“Who is to say that is not entirely intentional?” the former archangel commented.

Aladria glanced over at the two before politely clearing her throat, “So...this alternate power?”

“Ah, yes,” Malthael said, attention fixed on what he was writing, “The arch and the void cannot be used to solve this problem of corruption. Neither can the heart as it is a purely angelic artifact. No, we must look elsewhere. The study we are conducting most go to new places.” 

“Go where?” Imperius murmured, raising a hand to rub at his chest. 

“It could go to a great many places.” Malthael returned with a chuckle. 

Imperius huffed, wings flicking in irritation, “Again, that is not an answer, Malthael.” 

The former archangel straightened up, his wings letting out a series of rasps as he handed the quill to Orephilus who let out a snort, taking the instrument and picking up where Malthael left off, “With so many avenues to go, it is simply too much a pain to list all the options, especially when all of this is going to go over your head regardless, Imperius.”

The archangel of valor’s wings stiffened as he crossed his arms, “And what, pray tell, are you trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say is while you are here, I can finally get a sample from you,” Malthael returned, “With your permission of course.” 

“Sample?” Imperius wings pulled tight to his back, “What sample?”

“Don’t be squeamish, my lord,” Oreliphus drawled, her own wings rasping,“To understand corruption, you have to study it closely and every demon has its own unique pattern of corruption. That means the cure for each angel is unique to whatever evil is taking root in their soul.”

“Which means helping you might not help every angel. We may cure yours, but not everyone. Best wi will be able to do is find a method that can be applied to all afflicted,” Malthael said as he approached Imperius, pulling his scythe free from the sheath on his hip, “Now just hold still. This will only take a moment.” 

Imperius tensed but didn’t move away as Malthael approached, the archangel of death lightly pressing the tip of his shotel to the corruption spreading across his chest. Instantly, there was a cold feeling in Imperius’s resonance and he felt something start to pull at his soul, sending a flash of pain through him. His resonance recoiled, but the corruption could not easily pull away as Malthael latched his energy onto it. With a sudden hard yank back, a piece of the dark essense came free from the rest of Imperius’s soul, the arhcnagel of valor stepping back, wings flared as pain surged through him and he felt the corruption writhe for a moment before settling again. 

“What in the arch’s name are you doing?” Imperius hissed.

“Getting a sample, like I said. Honestly Imperius, do you like to hear me repeat everything a dozen times?” Malthael asked, cupping his hand about the tiny bit of black, molten soul that swirled aboutt the tip of his weapon like a small swarm of angry insects, “I cannot find a cure for your corruption without studying it closely.

The former archangel of wisdom turned away quickly, moving back towards the desk where Oreliphus was already holding a soul stone to shouse the sample. Imperius only let out a low growl, rubbing a hand over his chest as the pain subsided.

Aladria watched, arching an eyebrow, “And how are you going to study it, if I may ask?” 

“By introducing the corruption to heavenly creatures within a controlled environment,” Malthael responded, moving to slip the crystal into a small device that hummed, generating a small time-locked prison, “I would carry these out in Pandemonium, however, given the nephelem destroyed it, we have no option but to carry them out here.”

Imperius tensed, “You are...corrupting things on purpose!?”

“Yes. To see how it spreads. What triggers it, what paths it takes when it infects something holy,” Malthael said, looking down again at his notes, one finger trailing over them, “I need to understand its pattern, how it attacks and spreads. It is like the study of mortal pathogens. You cannot hope to develop a cure or vaccine unless you understand how a disease moves.”

Tevar snorted, “And I guess you are some sort of doctor now?”

“I have over sixty different doctorate degrees and more medical degrees than any mortal doctor.” Malthael said, wings flicking out in an irritated rasp, “It is not hard to pretend to be mortal, enter into their colleges and study medicine. I actually assisted in the creation of many modern day cures and vaccines so, yes. I am a doctor.”

Tevar blinked, looking surprised, “Seriously?”

“I’ll make sure to get copies of all my degrees and decorate my entire wall with them if that is the proof you need,” Malthael said with a wry tone.

“To be fair, most angels in Heaven hold a number of degrees,” Oreliphus cut in, glancing at Tevar, “It was easier to hide from our foes by posing as mortals and that involved pursuing careers.”

“And having families...” Aladria murmured, glancing away.

Malthael glanced down at her for a moment before giving a rasp of his wings, “That indeed and no doubt their children may be made targets. Some have probably not come to Heaven to protect their mortal families.”

Rakanoth snorted, turning his head to nip his fangs against a dry spot of skin on his arm, “That or they became mortals themselves to better stay close to their families...”

“I feel you need to think of some policy for those that remained concerning their families, either bringing them here or finding a way to ensure their safety in Sanctuary,” Malthael commented, looking over his shoulder at Imperius, “Something to bring up with your new council.” 

The archangel of valor gave a small nod, shifting over to where Rakanoth now lay on the floor listlessly, reaching out to pat the demon’s head, “It is something that needs to be discussed among so many other things. I first want to get a lay of the land and a better idea of how our ancient enemy is doing. We cannot afford to have the enemy brought into Heaven, not when we are so vulnerable still.”

“It is the duty of a king to consider a thousand issues at once,” Malthael responded, “So let me serve you by considering how to cure your corruption and...the future of Heaven’s survival.”

Imperius felt unease surge in his soul, glancing up at Malthael, “What do you mean the future survival of Heaven?”

The former archangel paused, going silent. Oreliphus glanced over at him, her wings pulling tight to her back. It was clear both wisdom angels knew something and it was a long moment before Malthael let out a sigh, “I see no reason to keep this from you,” he finally said, “But the past week, I have been studying the arch itself. I have noticed it has weakened, but with the pools restored, I had thought it would start to replenish its energy, especially with so few angels to support.”

The unease in Imperius only grew at that, “What do you mean?”

“The arch is dying Imperius,” Malthael said quietly, looking down at his notes, “We cannot replenish our numbers to even a fraction of what they once were. Its light will eventually go out.” 

“Explain,” Imperius growled, wings flared. 

“The arch recycles energy. Angels that die are reborn and what is lost to fallen angels is recovered by the energy of the heart rising from the vapors of the pools of wisdom,” Malthael said, “The number of angels is thus finite, to the capacity the arch and support. However, even with the rising vapors of the heart, the arch’s energy has not grown and the rate at which fledglings are being born is….very low.”

“and those born have a higher chance of being born angels of wisdom,” Oreliphus added, glancing over her shoulder, “Of the handful of fledglings created, over half are like us and of that half well...”

“Half have fizzled out and died within days of creation,” Malthael finished, “Only fledglings born of large light songs are viable.” 

The news filled Imperius’s soul with an icy cold sting of dread, “So restoring Heaven is all for naught?”

“No,” Malthael said firmly, “It just means we must find a way to restore it or an alternative means of drawing power.” He turned back to the notes he was looking over.

“You have any leads on that?” Tevar asked, “This sounds like a huge fucking issue!” 

“I need more information. I cannot find solutions without knowing the whole picture,” He said, looking down at a diagram he had drawn up on one of the scrolls before him, “If you can spare scouts to me, it will only help in gathering more information about Sanctuary and the sudden desert of the arcane that has grown in it. Aladria has been assisting me there as well in regards to nephalite study.”

Aladria nodded, glancing at Imperius, “Given what has been said about Sanctuary’s past and the power that used to be around and how many nephelem were appearing, whatever energy is being drawn from the arch may have affected Sanctuary as well. The two incidents may be connected.”

“But we also need information on Hell,” Malthael glanced over towards Rakanoth, “And having a demon lords coperation may aid us there.”

Rakanoth lifted his head, teeth bared a bit, “And what would I know that would help? I do not stare into the void like you pigeons do, staring at your arch all day...”

“Something you can easily give,” Malthael responded, “I need numbers. What is the current number of demons in Hell proper?”

Rakanoth paused, head tilted, “To put it in vague terms you angels adore...millions.” the demon responded.

“And is that less or more than what it was during Diablo’s invasion of Hell?” 

The demon paused, lowering his head in thought before shaking his head, “Far less than then,” Rakanoth finally said, “More weak demons, few lords.”

Imperius’s wings flicked about in confusion, “But if the arch’s light fades, should not the void grow stronger and support more demons?” he murmured. 

Malthael chuckled, “It is a double-edged sword. True the void grows stronger, but the light of the arch acted as a means to keep demons from drawing too much.” the former archangel jotted a few notes down, “The lords of hell active are overdrawing from the void, sucking it dry faster and causing it to create weaker and weaker demons.” 

“So Hell is in decline as well,” Oreliphus said, leaning against the table, “It seems the worse case scenario might be what is playing out, as you thought.” 

Tevar frowned, “...this sounds like something really bad.”

“More so than you can possibly imagine,” Malthael responded, reaching up to fiddle with one of the devices over his desk, “But we have at least a thousand years to prevent it.”

“What is the worse case scenario?” Aladria asked.

Malthael paused, gaze fixed on his notes before he straightened up, turning around to face the others as he crossed his arms over his chest, “If my theory is correct and all realms of creation are dwindling in power, then we are not talking about just the destruction of Heaven, but of all creation. We are standing on the brink of a mass extinction that will suffocate all life, mortal and immortal alike.” 

Imperius felt the cold dread in his soul only increase, glancing over at Malthael, “Are you for certain?”

“I am not. It is a possibility,” the former archangel said with a shake of his head, “It is why I need more information, to see the bigger picture of what is going on, but again, we have time to stop this and really, we cannot stop it on our own,” He turned back towards his notes, “Thinning the population of demons is one solution.”

“Why is killing demons a solution?” Tevar asked.

“The void and arch are connected,” Oreliphus said, folding her arms over her chest, “If less demons are drawing on the void, it may cause the arch to strengthen. This might be solved by simply bringing things back into balance.” 

“So tracking down and killing demons, weak and powerful, is still a goal,” Malthael responded, glancing up from his work, “And that is something I feel you can handle easily, Imperius.” 

“I’ll see to it personally.” Imperius responded, wings flaring, “I’ve been planning to send more scouts to Sanctuary and to get a better feel for the situation at hand. Slaying demons is just the natural progression.” 

“And finding Auriel,” Malthael added, “Restoring the balance is about restoring the powerful figures of Heaven, if she is still alive.”

“She is.” Imperius said, “She is too stubborn to let someone like Mephisto bring her low.”

At least, that is what he hoped. The grim news about the arch and creation would linger at that back of his mind, but he would put his faith in Malthael to find a way to stop that from happening. For all their sake.

“I hope so as well.” Malthael murmured, “And I’m sorry for being the bearer of grim tidings.”

“It is better to know,” Rakanoth grunted, “Then everyone can find solutions.”  
“Words of wisdom from the shark angel,” Tevar chuckled, shaking his head, “So what are we waiting for? We need to track down Hadriel and find Auriel and kill as many demons as possible!”

“I will go to Sanctuary myself as much as I can to find traces of Hadriel and Auriel as well as to hunt demons,” Imperius said, “My condition aside, I cannot stand by idly when everything we have fought for hangs by a thread of defeat.” 

Tevar cleared his throat, “not to be a party pooper or anything but, Imperius? You are….kind of terrible at passing for human. You stand out. You don’t really blend in.”

Imperius huffed, crossing his arms, wings flicking, “Then I suppose you and Aladria will have to….instruct me on how to pass for a mortal better. I will not be content to stay in Heaven this time. I will not fall to inaction again.” 

Aladria smiled, “We can do that. I’m sure Tyrael will help as well.”

Rakanoth let out a groan, sitting back on his haunches, “But what about the corruption? Should you not remain here? I’m sure the energy of the arch can only help to keep it at bay...”

“I’m still myself,” Imperius retorted, “I will be fine. It is just reacon and the enemy is not aware of our movements to track us down so easily yet. As long as I avoid certain triggers, I will remain steadfast.” 

Malthael wings flicked some, giving a rasp that Oreliphus returned, the two “speaking” in the strange way that the wisdom angels did before both turned back to their work, the former picking up his quill again to set about jotting down more notes, “I wish you luck, for what it is worth, and if you need to consult me, my study is always open.” he paused, glancing to Aladria, “And if you aren’t busy now, you are certainly welcome to join us, Aladria. I want to talk about the process to go about getting a sample of pure nephalite.” 

The mortal scholar smiled brightly, quickly coming over to look at the notes, “I was planning on coming over already in fact. I will help in any way I can to solve this, if, of course, I’m not intruding too much?”

“Not at all. You are welcomed in our council.” Oreliphus said with a nod of her head, “Not to mention whatever noise you are making is helping to get more help out here which I am grateful for.”

Aladria gave a nod of her head, “Some of the hope angels have been wanting some more to do and tending to the plant life here has been a challenge they seemed eager to accept.” 

Imperius watched as the three drew in closer, already thick as thieves and gave a shake of his head, moving to set a hand on Rakanoth’s shoulder, the other on Tevar’s, “Let us be away then and leave them to their work.”

A thought took them back to the ruin of the tower of retribution, the archangel’s wings drooping some. One worry was gone only for many more to replace it. The arch was dying. Auriel was still in the grips of Mephisto’s claws. All of creation could be doomed, and there was no easy solution, no easy path to victory.

And more than likely he would be dead long before he would see the fruit of their labors to solve anyone of those issues. 

Rakanoth slumped down beside him, gnawing lightly against one arm to chew off more of the dead skin, “...this is a terrible feeling,” the demon murmured, “To be ascending!”

“Hey now, if you ascend, you’ll be able to fly about. Flying shark, right?” Tevar said with a shrug, “Maybe make you the archangel of sharks.”

Rakanoth made a scoffing sound, glancing away, “I’m a demon, not an angel!”

Imperius raised a hand to touch the corruption on his chest, “And I don’t want to be a demon...”

“Too bad you two can’t trade, yeah?” Tevar said, looking between the two. 

The archangel of valor gave a shrug, “Maybe….Tevar? May I ah, make a request?”

The mortal glanced up, “Sure, what’s the favor?”

“Can you go fetch Tyrael? His insight will be valuable to ...better perfect my mortal disguise,” Imperius murmured, “I want to get started right away.” 

The human gave a nod, rising to his feet, “Sure, but miiight be a while. Forgot my phone back in my room,” he grumbled, turning to leave the room, “Be back as soon as I can!”

Imperius gave a nod as the mortal ran off. Rakanoth snorted, “...you knew he didn’t have his phone.”

“Yes.”

“So you wanted us to speak alone. No doubt about this...whatever it is we are going through,” Rakanoth growled, “I really don’t wish to talk about it.” 

Imperius was silent for a moment, wings giving a small flutter and a strange feeling of nerves was in his resonance as he gave a shake of his head.

“that isn’t what I wanted to talk about.” 

Rakanoth’s growling grew softer as he cocked his head, “Then what is it?”

Imperius shifted from foot to foot before turning, reaching up to pull the demon’s head down, leaning against the muzzle, wings tucking forward some to run tendrils up against his side, “Others have been making comment about how I seem inordinately fond of you,” he murmured, “Now I’m wondering if I’m completely mad for not denying their claims completely now.” 

The lord of despair jolted some at that before relaxing, letting out a low chuckles, “And your kin haven’t reacted in revolution?”

“I could care less if they do,” Imperius grumbled, letting go and moving to sit down at the edge of the basin Rakanoth had dug out over the past few days, “I’m tired of having to worry about everything. I want one thing I do not have to worry about.”

The demon settled down beside him, head turned to nuzzle up against Imperius’s shoulder, “Then this is something you need never trouble yourself about. My devotion is to you and you alone now. I’m turning into one of you winged pigeons…. You are probably the only silver lining about that.”

A hot flush rose up to Imperius’s armor as he scoffed, reaching over to push Rakanoth’s head away, “Do not call my kind pigeons.”

“I will until I am one. Let me have my time to indulge in insults,” Rakanoth retorted, baring his teeth in a grin as he nuzzled in closer purring loudly again, “While you are still the prettiest, angriest pigeon in Heaven and I still a beast of Hell.”

Imperius let out a huff but did not push the demon away this time, reaching up to tug the head closer, turning his own towards the maw. It was as close to a mortal kiss as angels went, a press of forehead to forehead, wing slipping out to trace more brazenly over hide, one even daring to flick over the tiny wings on the demon’s back causing Rakanoth to jolt and huff. 

He must be losing his mind. The corruption must be addling his sense to make him even consider that there was….something to pursue here between them.

Or he was just so tired. 

Or he was just aching for the more intimate company of a partner to help ease the burden upon his shoulder. 

“What a strange pair we make now...” Imperius murmured. 

“Strange, but not the first at least, yes?” Rakanoth responded, purring loudly as he shifted to pull Imperius against his chest, “Might as well see what these odd urges lead to.”

“Odd urges,” Imperius let out a tired chuckle, leaning back, all but slumping against the demon lord, “That is one way to say what these feelings really are.”

“I don’t think either of us are ready to be that honest about it.”

Something about those words were comforting and put something at ease within Imperius. He nodded, letting himself go almost boneless against the steady purr against his wings, “That is for another time,” Imperius agreed, “No need to say anything that is already known.”

Rakanoth chuckled and settled back, “Wise words, my lord. Very wise words.” 

Imperius didn’t respond, his gaze fixed ahead at the sea of clouds beyond the lip of the basin. If it was indeed filled with water, it would seem like water would go on forever to meet and reflect the sky. No doubt the sight would be beautiful and the demon was probably going to add more décor as he went along, remodeling the tower to fit his needs. 

That brought a pause to Imperius’s thoughts as he glanced up, “What are you going to name this place now?”

Rakanoth cocked his head, letting out a soft hum of thought, “I have thought of a few names. The tower of despair, the melancholy spire, or the gloomy retreat….but I think, I think I want to call it Serenity’s Haven.”

“Serenity’s Haven?” 

It was not a name Imperius suspected, not from the demon. Rakanoth only nodded, “It does not spark despair, that much is for sure. The name would not be fitting,” the demon huffed, “But it does bring a sense of peace up here. So far away from the rest of Heaven, it is a sort of...haven from troubles. A place to relax and rest. And I think I’ll be spending more time sleeping in the water when it is filled than wanting to cause despair.”

Imperius gave a nod, “It is a good name.”

Rakanoth let out a hum in response, falling silent. Neither of them felt like talking much, but it was a comfortable silence. A gentle sort of quiet that settled between them that had Imperius starting to feel some of the weight already lifting from his shoulders. 

Serenity’s Haven.

A fitting name. 

Imperius let his thoughts trail off, watching the light play off the smoothed edges of the tower and the clouds behind. The light though was growing darker as twilight approached, fading as it would soon do upon the rest of the world if nothing was done.

He pushed that thought away.

Something would be done to save heaven, to save creation.

They just needed to seek out and hold onto hope. 

He raised a hand to trace over the corruption on his chest.

He just needed to hold on long enough to see that everything was set right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot being set up to come! A bigger plot is revealed! A lot of this chapter really focused on relationships, past and present, and all the aches and pains of it. Also Malthael being more himself now that he isn't in danger of death.... for better or worse :b
> 
> But setting up a lot in this chapter for things to come > u >


	27. Broken Hope

There was nothing noisier, more clamorous, than the sprawling metropolises that mortals had built across Sanctuary. They were larger than any city in the past, built just as much vertically as they were wide and then were filled to the brim with moving bodies, concrete monoliths, and spires of glass and steel that pressed in so close, making Imperius feel caged in. The whole place was claustrophobic, choked by dirt and filth that collected in every corner, contrasted jarringly against bright, colorful displays of opulent wealth. 

There was no room for peace or silence within these megalith cities. Every moment, every second seamed filled with things that flashed and yelled as crowds constantly pushed and moved to a thousand different locations like a mindless swarm of locusts. Imperius felt his senses constantly being assaulted by new sights and sounds, as well as sudden dichotomies in smell that went from a fetid rotting stench to the sweet aroma of cakes and food. Nothing of the past, nothing in Heaven or Hell could adequately be compared to a mortal city to try and describe the uncountable paradoxes that co-existed in a strangely chaotic order. 

All that the archangel of valor could come up with to describe the place was it was Pandemonium reborn and somehow made even more turbulent, wild, and far more unpredictable.

It was a chaos and order that Imperius was trying to force himself to get use given that it was clear at this point Sanctuary was not about to vanish. Just an aggravation he had to learn to live with.

The archangel of valor leaned against a tree lining the street they were on as they waited outside a small shop selling some sort of drink. Most of the day thus far had been committed to wandering the city and following up leads that led them to seedier parts of the city. The process was tedious and Imperius had long since just accepted the skin-crawling feeling that tingled over his form from being pressed tightly into busses and subways and being exposed to some of the most foul-smelling, dirty looking mortals he had ever laid eyes on.

He would think the advent of more hygiene in the future would have had the opposite effect of making mortals more hygienically. The large, sweating man on the subway that had kept hacking away and showering him in his spittle was evidence contrary to that.

Mortals were still, as a population, disgusting.

Imperius crossed his arms as he let out a sigh, eyeing each passersby with a narrowed eyed look of near disdain, before shifting his gaze to the mortal woman who sat on a bench beside him, “Why is getting these drinks taking so long?” he demanded, “It does not take this long to pour a simple drink. What are they doing? Extracting the essence of the fruit itself and going through the entire distilling process?”

Aladria gave a small shrug, “It is four drinks. Takes a while to blend Imperius and we have just been waiting a few minutes. Not to mention there was a line. You can’t just cut to the front because you are a bit impatient. That’s rude.”

“That, and I’m pretty sure you do that in a Scoundrel’s and people will riot,” another voice added. 

Imperius’s gaze slid over to the punk dressed woman that sat beside Aladria, idly stretching her legs out, “Speaking from experience Ira?”

The disguised captain of the luminarei smirked, baring a few of the teeth of her mortal disguise, “Seen it once or twice. Once the person who started the riot but the asshole had it coming thinking because he wore a suit he was more entitled to the sweet Scoundrel’s smoothies.” 

Imperius snorted, glancing towards the shop where Samurel was leaning forward against the counter, apparently chatting with the mortal there. The woman at the counter was red in the cheeks and giggling as she went about mixing an assortment of ingredients together, “Why are we even getting drinks?” Imperius grumbled, “None of us really need it other than Aladria.”

“So we look normal and blend into the crowd. That is, after all what a disguise is meant to do.” Ira said with a shrug, “If we just go about without stopping to rest and eat and say someone is trailing us, we are going to look pretty suspicious.”

The archangel of valor let out another huff, glancing away, “Pretending to be a mortal is far too complicated. Why do mortals need so much to live?”

“Blame the demonic parents? I don’t know. They just do,” Ira said with another shrug, “But hey, at least we get to try interesting things?”

Aladria chuckled, “Don’t worry too much about it. Honestly you are doing a lot better with your own since the first time we came to Sanctuary.” 

Imperius snorted, but decided to hold his retort about the whole affair.

He had thought it would be easy enough to learn how to hold up a mortal disguise, but he had quickly learned there were about a dozen subtleties to always keep in mind. Mortals ate and drank on occasion. They had to relieve themselves. They had to make a physical show of breathing but only just a little. They made odd noises that caused their faces to contort in odd ways. Their mouths moved about oddly, more akin to demons in their vocals than angels. 

It was all a pain to keep in mind. 

He was doing what he could though to follow all the arbitrary rules to being mortal. He was wearing casual clothes at last, something mortals called jeans with a windbreaker jacket over a simple T-shirt. He was wearing a ball cap and a mask that mortals supposedly wore when they were trying to avoid pollution. Something normal that hid his mouth until he got more adept at that.

The hours of karaoke had done very little to help his lip syncing, no matter how many pointers he got. He still had a chance to forget to move his mouth correctly causing Tevar to snicker about how he looked like some glitched out video game character when he spoke. 

Some things though had come rather naturally.

For one thing, the habit of scowling, had come quiet naturally to Imperius as well as the mortal ability to glare and glower at others. Frowning also seemed far more natural than trying to force a smile. 

Perhaps those habits came easier given that everything about the loud bustling city put him on edge and reminded him why he had not enjoyed his time before. There were too many mortals, too many potential enemies all around them. Sanctuary had become more hostile than ever before, even if that hostility was hidden beneath a veneer of peace.

Not one mortal around them could be trusted as far as he was concerned. 

“Imperius, you got to stop well, glaring at everyone. It is going to put people on edge.” Aladria murmured, “We aren’t trying to look like everyone has personally spat in our soup or something.”

Imperius glanced down to the mortal woman, her gaze on her phone. He couldn’t understand how Aladria could be so calm being in the middle of this city. She was dressed in unassuming clothes, jeans and a baggy sweatshirt and wearing a pair of sunglasses. She had dyed her hair blond as a means of hiding her identity better and she had a messenger back slung over a shoulder where she had her weapon of choice, the book of Tyrael carefully stored.

“Some mortals are just mean looking, so you’ve said. What is glaring harming?” Imperius grumbled, although made an attempt to look more neutral.

“Because it might tip a hunter off.” 

Imperius glanced over as Samurel approached them, carrying a container with three drinks, “Hunters?”

“Angel hunters,” he clarified as he moved to hand Aladria her drink, “They are always skulking about, looking for any small thing that might make someone suspicious or some mortal struggling to act right.”

Ira pursed her lips as Samurel held out the drink tray to her, picking her order up, “You didn’t get anything?”

“Don’t feel like anything,” He grunted before moving to hand Imperius a large cup of pop, “They only had the diet stuff, sir.”

Imperius eyed the drink, taking a small sip from the container, musing on the taste before giving a nod, “It is acceptable,” he murmured. He paused for a moment before looking towards the disguised major general as he moved to stand a bit off to the side, “How would you even know one is around?”

“You don’t.” Samurel said, pulling out a carton of cigarettes from the sweatshirt he wore, “ That’s what makes them so dangerous.”

“More a pain in the ass to deal with,” Ira drawled, drink in one hand, the other holding her phone as she quickly texted, “The only warning you get is the first shot, if you are lucky to survive it.”

 

“So we just assume they don’t know we are here?” Imperius growled, “Can they sense us? What do they use to determine if someone is mortal or not?”

Samurel gave a shrug as he put a cigarette to his lips before cupping a hand around the tip to light it, “They can sense us, if you aren’t taking pains to mask your resonance. That is what the necklace you were given is for,” Samurel responded, taking a quick drag from his smoke, “But with so many mortals now and days having angelic or demonic lineage, it isn’t a surefire method. Behavior is the biggest indication, little things that aren’t adding up. A disguise with too many inconsistencies.”

Ira cocked an eyebrow as Samurel blew out a cloud of smoke as Aladria looked over to Imperius, offering a smile as she reached out to pat his forearm, “So just…play it cool. We are just a group of college students out for a day in the city. Just going to see a few museums and nothing out of the ordinary.” 

“Just probably slumming some term paper,” Ira said before taking a sip of her drink, “Just be casual.”

Samurel snorted, taking another drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke, “Says the one that is dressed like a fashion punk.”

 

Ira crossed her arms, peering around Imperius at Samurel as he took another long drag of his cigarette,, “Punk never goes out of style. Better than the sweatpants and sweatshirt combo you got going,” She paused, face scrunching up as he blew out another cloud of smoke, “And I thought you quit smoking?”

“I’m allowed to smoke if I want,”Samurel retorted, not even looking Ira’s way, “It is really none of your business.”

“Just surprise that you, mister stick up the ass about rules and regulation is doing something Papa Iggy would frown about,” she drawled, crossing her arms, “When I smoke, you always throw a fit!”

Samurel scowled, dropping his spent cigarette to the ground and snuffing it out, a final bloom of smoke escaping him, “Honestly right now? I could care fucking less what the hell you want to do anymore.”

Imperius glanced at Samurel, shoulders tensing as he watched the other angel rise to his feet and shove his hands into his pockets, “Let’s just get this whole thing over with so we can go back as soon as possible.”

“What’s the rush?” Ira drawled, “Running out of baristas and bar tenders to flirt with?”

“Please. It is just being friendly. You wouldn’t know flirting if it stabbed you up the ass,” Samurel sneered, “I am just sick of this city.”

“Only stop left is to visit one last museum with a focus on rocks and crystals. According to Tevar, the Shen Gallery of Exotic Precious Minerals and Ores has a large collection of nephalite. Part of our reacon is to follow up leads to where Hadriel might be or how to get in contact with him, but also to find a pure sample of nephalite for study.”

Ira arched an eyebrow, “Are we locating it to set up a heist or something?”

“More or less,” Aladria murmured, glancing away, “Usually I would not agree to help to facilitate a robbery of a museum collection, but Malthael believes a pure sample could be critical to the research into what has happened in Sanctuary in terms of the loss of arcane power.”

Samurel’s shoulders tensed at the mention of Malthael, although he didn’t say a word. He was scowling more as if something unpleasant had been mentioned and Imperius could practically see the absolute contempt for the reaper even in the eyes of his mortal disguise. 

“Then that is our next stop,” Imperius said at length, taking his gaze from Samurel to Aladria, “Please tell me we can walk there and do not need to ride a bus or subway.”

“I would be so fine with that,” Ira drawled, “I already had to nearly break the wrist of some perv thinking its free real estate to grope my butt just because I was sandwiched next to him.”

“Funny, I thought you would enjoy it as you seem to like older men feeling you up,” Samurel said acidly, “Seems to be your type.”

Ira frowned, shooting him a glare, “What is your deal today?”

Samurel just scowled, looking towards Aladria, ignoring Ira’s retort, “How do we get there?”

“It’s in walking distance. Just two blocks to our right and then down Hakkan Boulevard,” Aladria said as she rose to her feet, “Shouldn’t take long. Just ah, a second” she moved to pull a set of tickets from within her satchel, handing one to each member of the party, “Already pre-purchases tickets to make sure we don’t have to wait in line. Should just be a fifteen minute walk.”

“Gives us plenty of time to chat then,” Ira drawled, glaring at Samurel, “And you can tell me why you are being a passive-aggressive, fucking pain in my neck more so than usual!”

The disguised major-general glanced over her for a minute before giving a roll of his eyes and just silently turning on his heels to stalk in the direction they needed to go, his posture slouching forward defensively. Ira let out a frustrated growl, starting to stalk after him, but not shouting or trying to force an answer if only to avoid a scene. 

Aladria glanced at Imperius as she started to trail after the two, lowering her voice as she leaned in closer to the archangel of valor “Are…you sure there is…something there? He seems to…want very little to do with her personally,” Aladria murmured, “I’m not seeing anything of a relationship between them other than intense dislike.”

“I trust Ignaceus. He has never been wrong about such things before, especially something that went on for so long,” Imperius murmured, “Ira’s been somewhat pursuing Malthael of late I know…”

“I mean, it isn’t like valor angels seem to tell each other about crushes,” Aladria drawled, “I doubt she even knows.”

“It’s tradition,” Imperius huffed, “The thrill of the hunt, of the pursuit, and the need to entice a person to come chasing you is part of it!”

Aladria eyed Imperius, crossing her arms, “So what happens when one decides to chase someone else because they like them better?”

Imperius paused, glancing away, “…usually heartbreak. A feeling of inadequacy that you couldn’t hold their attention for the pursuit. A feeling of wasting time…”

“Charming,” Aladria drawled, “So I guess that is what is going on here and if that is the case, maybe best to not try and force them together? You said Ira is interested in Malthael. Maybe he should just be let go.”

The archangel of valor grimaced, “A pursuit of Malthael ends in worse tragedy. It never ends well. He…grows bored easily. Especially of young angels. I don’t want her to end up hurt too over this whole thing.”

Aladria let out a sigh, rubbing her temples, “What if it is different this time? I mean, Malthael has changed since you knew him.”

“He has,” Imperius agreed, “But his heart has always belonged to one angel in Heaven, and one alone and that relationship is complicated and I’m not at liberty to speak of it,” He looked down at Aladria, “And Ira was returning the hunt before he showed up. There was something there.”

He looked ahead where Samurel and Ira were, already a block ahead and standing at a light, the latter clearly saying something to Samurel who remained silent, staring ahead. 

He gave a shake of his head, “He’s just upset.” 

 

“More than upset Imperius,” Aladria murmured, "I think….I think things are kind of ah…not destined to work out there.”

The archangel of valor didn’t respond, merely giving a small huff as he increased his own pace to catch up with the two. Samurel glanced over at Imperius before his gaze shifted ahead, already withdrawing a hand from his sweatshirt to retrieve another cigarette. Ira scowled at this, crossing her arms. 

“Are you already lighting up another one?” Ira drawled, “You just finished smoking one of those nasty things!”

“None of your fucking business what I do, as you would say,” Samurel snapped, bringing the unlit cigarette to his lips causing Ira to jump at the sudden irritation in his voice. 

The general-major eyed her before turning away, moving to light his smoke, “How far are we from this place? The sooner this is done, the sooner we can leave and the less likely there will be trouble.” 

“Not far. Should just be around the corner,” Aladria said, trying to maintain her usual cheer, her smile a bit more forced, “Let’s just get in and out, yeah?”

“Yeah. The sooner the better,” Ira growled, pushing passed Samurel, “So I can get away from this bag of bitchyness.” 

Aladria glanced to Imperius out the corner of her eye, giving a subtle shake of her head as she followed after the two. It was clear what she thought about this whole affair and the archangel of valor was starting to wonder if he had made the right choice in bringing the two with him on this mission. The intention of course had been to try and reconcile the two. Perhaps he was somewhat of a romantic at heart, growing up on too many well played out love stories intertwined with tales of battle, or perhaps seeing his own dreams of companionship dashed so miserably once before had him wanting to spare both the pain that came with the ending of a long pursuit.

Maybe it was just to prove Ignaceus wrong that not all relationships had to end in heartbreak.

Aladria was silent, sneaking glances to Imperius with a look that showed she wanted to say something more but was holding her tongue. Ira was boring holes into Samurel’s back, her expression a mixture of confusion, anger, and wavers of concern. Samurel was a blank slate save for the scowl on his lips, twisted about the still unlit cigarette. All around them, the city was busy and noisy, but almost seemed muted, distant, as if the world was parting around them as they moved towards the museum due in no small part to the tension hanging over them despite the warmth of the sunlight.

The silence between them was starting to get to the archangel of valor.

“Did Malthael say what he wanted to do with the nephelite?” Imperius asked at length, breaking the tense silence.

“Not in great detail, given he himself isn’t sure what it is, but given descriptions and looking at inert or flawed samples, he is guessing that pure nephelite might be doing something to absorb energy,” Aladria said, “A pure sample would make it easier to see if there is a lot of arcane energy sealed within. Really, I feel he is on to something as you yourself were sealed in nephelite and your power preserved.”

Imperius grimaced, “Not a time I like to be reminded of. Thousands of years spent in the dark…”

Aladria blinked, looking up at him, “You were…conscious the whole time?”

“My kind do not sleep, not unless there is damage enough to the form that the consciousness shuts down to preserve the soul,” Imperius said quietly, “I was awake, unable to see beyond my prison, aware of only darkness. Nothing but my thoughts for a while before even those thoughts began to drift. I sunk back into memory.”

Long periods of confinement could drive mortals and even demons insane. They were creatures who could not endure such isolation, but angels had a defense against such madness, a defense that had passed in small part to mortals. They could slip back into memory to avoid trying times and live out a lifetime again and again, playing over happier times and escaping the trappings of their situation.

The demons of hell often worked against this by trying to corrupt those memories and twist them to something vicious in order to tear them apart and hasten an angel’s fall to corruption. Imperius couldn’t help but raise a hand to his chest, feeling a worm of worry rise up.

Would he, like the corrupted of the past, forget? Would he no longer have the memories of his past to the point it would seem as if at the start of his demonhood, he was not himself?

That thought was troubling.

“You have gone through so much,” Aladria murmured, “I don’t think I would want to keep going.”

“I suppose that is both my blessing and my curse,” Imperius let out a humorless chuckle, “Far too stubborn to ever think there is a time to give up or give into fear and despair.”

The scholar pursed her lips, “…have you ever felt fear?”

That had Imperius looking down at her, head tilting before growing thoughtful. He gave a small shake of his head, “No. I haven’t. Even as a fledgling I was known for well,” he cleared his throat, glancing away, “trying to make friends with demon imps despite them trying to kill me.”

Ira snickered some, glancing back at Imperius, “I only heard rumors about that among the host. That young lord Imperius at first wanted to befriend and play with all the little demons before realizing it was more fun to fight them.”

Imperius huffed, crossing his arms, “I was barely a few months existing. I didn’t even know how to form words!”

Aladria chuckled, “Sounds like you were a handful.”

“I was. I can only be thankful my caretaker was blessed with a seemingly endless reservoir of patience for me,” Imperius raised a hand to rub at his chest, “Although she said arch forbid I have any fledgling less there be more than one of me let loose in Heaven.”

The statement was made in jest, but now it seemed more or less the reality that he would not foster fledglings of his own now. Those who were corrupted could no longer achieve such a things with how tormented their resonance and souls became. 

“Funny, my instructors said the same thing about me,” Ira said with a grin, “But just you wait, soon I will have a little legion of fledglings swarming. Got to make Ignaceus a grand-angel eh?”

“I’m sure you and Malthael will make a dozen awful spawns that you’ll have to take care yourself,” Samurel growled out, shoulders tensed, “Given that seems to be the angel you want to tie a duet with.”

Ira’s eyes narrowed, a scowl returning to her lips, “No one asked for your comments, asshole,” she snapped, “And who knows? Maybe it will be my admirer?”

That had Samurel letting out a scoffing sound, lifting his lighter to finally light the end of his second cigarette, “I find that incredibly hard to fathom at this point when it seems you’ve made clear your affections lie with the former archangel of wisdom, screeching on your back.”

Imperius blinked, taking in Samurel’s word even as Ira’s mortal disguise went crimson in the cheeks. It sunk in slowly what had taken place and the archangel of valor had to resist letting out a growling groan and slamming his face into his hands.

Of course. Of bloody course Malthael would take up any offer to fool around. The bastard had been doing that since he and Auriel had their falling out and Imperius had seen the fallout of his fooling about time and time again. Malthael didn’t lie and was very open and very truthful about his affairs and the poor fools that asked if anything happened often got more heartbreak than closure, especially when the former archangel was known for taking a strange form of pleasure in giving all the details of how much his partners enjoyed being with him. 

It seemed the former archangel of wisdom had struck down another romance with all the care of tossing out a demon carcass. 

That fact also meant that this conversation was not going to end well and Imperius was only thankful they were mortal and in public less it grow even worse. 

“As you put it earlier, who fucking cares?” Ira snarled, voice low “It was just blowing off some steam, nothing meant by it!”

“And I suppose your secret admirer is going to just have to take that at face value and just get use to you sleeping around like the maiden of lust,” He retorted, “It doesn’t seem like they have made any moves in a good long while!”

Ira’s face flushed and her teeth were gritted. There was a slight flinch there at his words, hands clenched. Imperius tensed as well, coming to a halt as he looked between the two and half expecting Ira to sock him across the face. 

The captain though inhaled deep, forcing herself to relax before fixing Samurel with a glare, straightening up, “So what? That doesn’t mean they gave up!” 

Samurel took a drag of his cigarette, glancing back, eyes narrowed, “I think he already has,” he said coldly, stressing the word he to make it clear who that he was.

Imperius could not hide the wince and Aladria had to look away as well. Ira came to halt, staring at Samurel as he continued to move forward towards the doors of the museum. He didn’t look back as he took a drag of his cigarette before putting it out on the ash tray near the entrance. 

“What did you say?” Ira asked quietly, hands clenched, trembling slightly.

Samurel didn’t turn around, moving up to the door to pull it open, “I’ll keep a lookout for any activity that might seem to be hunters as well as anything odd that might be linked to our target,” he said quietly, “I’ll reconvene when your business is completed, sir.” 

“No, you aren’t going anywhere! Not until you fucking tell me what you just said!” Ira snarled, stalking up to grab him by the shoulder. 

Samurel didn’t look at her, expression frozen in a blank scowl as he roughly shrugged out of her grip, “You are making a scene.”

“You started it you asshole! You started it with your comments and passive aggressive bullshit!” Ira retorted, clutching at the door as he moved inside, still refusing eye contact, “All this time it was you, wasn’t it!?”

There was no response. Samurel just slipped in through the door, hands shoved into his pockets and shoulders hunched forward. Ira was trembling more and if not for the mission, if not for the fact they were in such public a place, Imperius had no doubt she would have chased after him and gotten into a fight to get a reaction out of him.

All that was allowed now was pent up anger and realization swirling into a ball of ill-will.

“Are you just going to walk away?” she yelled, holding the door open, “Drop something like that and tuck your fucking tail between your legs and just go!?” 

Aladria winced as Ira’s voice cracked some as Samurel continued to just walk ahead as if he had suddenly gone deaf. A few people were glancing over, wondering what was going on and Imperius felt a bit paranoid, as if this little spat would draw unwanted attention. 

Ira gritted her teeth, “Fine then! Go! I hope you fucking drop down dead you asshole! You stupid, idiotic, bag of shit!” 

The captain whirled on her heels and moved over to where Aladria stood, breathing hard and running a hand through her hair, “Let’s….let’s go look at these stupid crystals so we can just leave.” She managed, her tone strained.

Aladria frowned some in concern, reaching to put a hand on the captain’s shoulder, “Ira, are you-“

“I’m fine!” Ira snapped. She paused for a moment after though and let out a sigh as she glanced away, “I’m fine just- this is probably for the best I mean, us? As something? If I had found out, would have turned him down flat centuries ago! We would always be at each other’s throats!” 

Imperius looked between the two before looking away with a sigh, one hand rubbing at his covered chest again, “Aladria…can the two of you handle finding the nephelite? I would rather avoid looking at what caused my imprisonment and I will be more at ease just keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.”

“Yeah. The two of should be good,” Aladria said with a small smile, moving to hook her arm with Ira’s, “Just two friends going to look at pretty rocks and have some girl talk.”

“I’ll keep her out of trouble,” Ira promised with a wobbly smile, “You can count on me.”

“Then I leave her in your capable hands Ira,” Imperius said with a nod, “We will meet up again in about an hour at the food court over there.”

Aladria nodded, starting to pull Ira along towards the main exhibit of the museum as Imperius turned away, starting to make his way through the crowd and into the less traversed exhibits.

He had no interest in the rocks or gems or whatever else this museum held. The disguised archangel was merely going through the motions of reading the plaques and moving about as if he had some passing interest in what he was observing. His thoughts were more focused on the complete breakdown that had taken place between Ira and Samurel. Already he could hear Ignaceus giving him the most passive-aggressive ‘told you so’ about the whole thing.

Imperius had hoped just a little time together with a mission to focus on might bridge things, just enough, for them to start patching things up. Like most things that involved the more personal, it had blown up rather spectacularly in his face. 

It reminded him far too much of his own falling out with Tyrael.

The archangel gave a shake of his head as he turned away from a display about some sort of glowing white stone before starting to wander further along the exhibits. There would be time to worry about that later. For now, he carefully began to expand his senses to try and pick up anything unusual. The corruption in him writhed, easily picking up the traces of evil that lingered, although most of that was located far below their feet in the fetid sewers of the city where it seemed even in this day and age demons of the weaker kind congregated. 

Within the building itself, he did not sense anything. That silence though did not ease his fears. If anything, something in him felt it was unnatural. He tried to push it to the back of his mind and remain casual in his movements through the museum, but he couldn’t shake that gnawing sense of wrong that was screaming that there was something amiss. It built into a slow agitation within Imperius as he found himself moving back to the food court, glancing about to see if the others were about.

He saw Samurel first, the disguised angel perched up on a stool to one of the tall tables just outside in an area designated for smokers. Imperius had to shake his head as the other angel was once more smoking, letting out slow streams of smoke, head cocked slightly.

“…is it normal for mortals to smoke so much,” Imperius drawled as he took a seat next to him. 

“Some do. If they got a bad enough habit.” Samurel responded, “Or are stressed and frankly, I have both.” 

He took a deep inhale, holding it for a bit before letting it out, his gaze dropping down to the carton, “Don’t think I much care for this brand, but the store didn’t have any Azo-lites.” The major-general glanced up at Imperius, “You want one?”

“I’ll pass,” Imperius murmured, watching as Samurel shrugged and tucked the box back into the pocket of his sweatshirt, “Any reason you decided to come out here?”

“The fact it is the smoker’s area aside, it gives me a good vantage point to keep an eye on things,” He said, sitting back in his chair, “All the exhibits lead out into the main halls so can see who is going where and who is looking out of place.”

Imperius gave a small nod, “Anything to report?”

Samurel gave a small nod, blowing out a cloud of smoke, turning to look at the milling patrons in the nearest hall, “Behind you, sitting at the entrance to the food court now is a woman that has been trailing you for a while. Started to lock onto you when the groups split up. One of the museum attendants came out of nowhere to start following Aladria and Ira as well. Another patron has not left the food court since I got here.” 

Imperius tensed, resisting the urge to look over, instead moving to situate himself back in the chair in order to glance to the side without looking obvious, “Which woman?”

“Black hair. Looks like they are from the Xiansai. Could almost be a spitting image of the nephelem wizard if she had blue eyes rather than violet. The one smirking unnervingly like she plotting the murder of fledglings,” Samurel said softly before taking another drag, “I think we are being watched.” 

“Think?”

“Always the chance of me being just paranoid and it is all just coincidence,” He said with a shrug, bringing his cigarette back to his lips, “But I say it is best to ere on the side of caution and get moving. Could be hunters.”

“Is it odd to not be able to sense anything?” Imeprius asked quietly.

Samurel gave a shrug, “It is, but nephelite practically masks the energy resonance of anything near it. Makes sort of a bubble. It is what we use in the devices we use to mask our resonance. Problem is, when we are working close to it or the enemy has some of their own devices set up with the stuff, can make us blind to their magic tricks,” he scowled some, blowing a slow cloud of smoke out the side of his mouth, “Which means we could be sitting in a trap.”

Imperius gave a nod although the news brought him little comfort. He shifted some, looking over to the exhibits, “Are Aladria and Ira nearly done?” 

“They left the nephelite exhibit. Probably looking around now just to avoid suspicions,” Samurel responded, “Not sure if they realized they picked up a stalker.” 

The archangel of valor nodded again, glancing over subtly again to pick out the woman that Samurel described. With so many mortals, it was a little difficult, but once a group of babbling tourists had moved by, he had to keep himself from tensing when he spotted her. 

Samurel was right in saying she looked like the damnable wizard from ages past. She had the same cut to her face, the same irritatingly smug expression, and that air of someone who was too self-assured of their own self-worth. The resemblance was uncanny enough to fill Imperius with an intense dislike for the woman. In her, he saw the nephelem that no doubt intentionally brought him low in order to have him sealed. In her, he saw the nephelem that spoke for the rest, the ringleader of their group, and one whom had pushed so many nations to look upon Heaven with disdain.

Someone who looked like she came from a line that were called heroes by mortals, but who burned everyone else to get their way. 

Imperius frowned, looking over at Samurel again, watching the angel take a listless, slow drag of his cigarette, “I don’t like the look of her. As soon as the others arrive, we leave right away.”

“Do you want me to send a text to tell them to hurry up?” Samurel asked, pulling his cellphone out of his hoodie. 

“If that will speed things up, yes.” 

Samurel gave a nod, starting to text before pausing and shaking his head, “I can’t. Ira blocked me and I don’t have Aladria’s number.” He said flatly, “Do you have a phone?”

Imperius gave a shake of his head, “I’m not bothering with one.” 

“Probably for the best,” Samurel murmured, “Think I’m not going to bother with one anymore either other than communication with Ignaceus.”

The archangel of valor glanced at him before looking away, “…five hundred years is a long time to pursue someone just to throw it all away at the end.”

“Yes, well, no sense pursuing something any longer when it is clear you aren’t the type preferred,” He growled, snuffing out his cigarette in the ash tray, “Apparently we only seemed like something in my own head.” 

“She is still wearing the scarf you gave her.”

“Probably hoping it was someone else and now can just look at it and live with the crushing disappointment it was only me,” Samurel responded curtly.

Imperius couldn’t help a wince, “I’m sure it isn’t like that.”

“And I’m sure I don’t care and don’t want to talk about this sir.” He responded tersely, “It’s over and done with and the best thing to do is let this splinter apart in the glorious mess it is. Best to let it die and let the hurt numb off.” He trailed off, listlessly staring at the snuffed out cigarette before slumping back, “I’d rather focus on my duty and take after Ignaceus in this matter and not feel like the biggest fool in Heaven.” 

That had the archangel of valor wincing again as he leaned back in his seat. He didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to make the situation worse. Idly he wondered if Aladria was having better luck with her “girl talk” with Ira. He certainly wasn’t having that much luck with trying to get Samurel to keep some faith in trying to work this out. 

Malthael wasn’t worth another broken relationship.

Imperius glanced over to the woman, tensing a bit as she smirked when they made eye contact. She was still watching him, still staring. There was something in her eyes, something that burned with a cunning that made the corruption in Imperius crawl with familiarity. 

She had eyes like a demon with that mortal face. She radiated evil that was undetectable, hidden beneath her humanity. 

He quickly adverted his gaze to Aladria and Ira as they came into view, raising a hand in greeting to get their attention. 

Aladria came over with a smile as Samurel moved his seat, all but wedging himself into another one halfway behind Imperius, arms crossed and staring out the window. Ira spared him a glance, scowling before taking a seat as far from him as possible. 

“Any luck?” Imperius asked. 

“Found one and marked it for the wisdom heist team to get it later,” Ira reported, looking to Aladria with a grin, “They had some good samples here.”

“Indeed. Some very pure varieties,” Aladria shifted, looking to Imperius, “And what about yourself? Anything to report?”

“Samurel believes we are being followed. Supposedly that woman over there has been following me around,” Imperius growled. 

“It is probably just coincidence. It is a busy museum and people are bound to be looking at the same thing as you,” Aladria said with a shrug. 

Ira chuckled, nudging Imperius’s arm, “Not to mention you are what the humans would considered marvelously handsome. Maybe she just is trying to get your attention and get them digits!”

“She looks like damanble she-wizard and there is something off about her. I know it,” Imperius hissed.

Aladria and Ira shared a skeptical look before the mortal scholar cleared her throat, “I think you are being a little paranoid. Even if there are hunters, they can’t make a move in public.” 

“It isn’t their style.” Ira agreed, “And it’s crowded. Won’t take much to give them the slip even if they are guards. We have to play it cool.”

Samurel snorted, “It might not be a hunter’s style, but that could be the style of a nephelem. Not like we would be able to sense them with the nephelite interference.” 

“But they can’t sense us either,” Ira snapped back, “If we start acting like scared, paranoid chickens like you, we are going to have our cover blown quickly.”

There was no response from the other angel, only a look away and a scowl curling his lips. Imperius cleared his throat, not about to let the conversation lull into an argument, “Either way, we are done here and I feel it is prudent to get moving either way. I want to try and lose her in the crowd outside regardless. I have not survived this long by putting doubt in my own instincts.” 

Aladria gave a nod, “All right. Let’s just take it nice and easy then. Just getting tired and heading home.”

Samurel rose to his feet first, shoving his hands into his pocket, “Then let’s get going and get back. We’ve exhausted all the leads here anyways.” 

“Yeah. Let’s get back. I have a long talk I want to have with you, Samurel,” Ira growled. 

“How about we just handle it here and now and make it a lot shorter,” He retorted as they started forward towards the exit, “You go court whoever in the Hells you want to bed and I don’t care anymore?”

“Or how about I didn’t fucking know it was you and if I did-“

“Be hugely disappointed?” he interjected as he slammed open the door, holding it briefly open for Aladria before letting go, “I guess that is the one thing we can have in common now.” 

“Would you let me finish!?” Ira snapped, “You are being a huge asshole right now, you know that!?”

“Oh? Does that mean I’m your type now or do I need to have a certain amount of affairs?” He sneered. 

Ira let out a growl, talking up to him and giving him a hard shove, “What is your deal? It was just a quick bit of fun! I’m not down on my knees in front of Malthael-“

“Not yet at least.” 

Imperius could practically hear the anger boiling in Ira as she stepped closer to Samurel, raising one hand, “That is it! I’ve had it with you and your moping, self-pitying, whining, stupid-ass-“

“Why is it so quiet?” 

The question had all three disguised angels looking Aladria before going silent themselves. The city was always filled with noise as the crowds of mortals like an eternal drone. The sound of noisy vehicles and even just the sound of the wind had always been present.

The silence was unnatural, as if the whole city had come to a halt.

Quickly Imperius looked about, feeling his unease bloom into complete apprehension.

Nothing around them was moving now. The crowd of people had come to a complete halt and even birds taking off from a nearby statue were locked in place. At the very edges though of the outside atrium though, there was a faint, geometric shimmer that was all too familiar. 

It was very clear now the enemy knew where they were and were making a bold move.

“What is going on?” Aladria asked, a tremor of nerves in her voice.

“A time-freeze sphere,” Ira snarled, backing up towards the mortal, “They got us locked right in the middle of it,”

“So it is a prison?”

“No, it merely slows or freezes time within the sphere, making this area blind to the rest of the world,” Imperius hissed, “Such magic though, this is not of mortal work or mortal technology. This is the work of a nephelem.”

“You are correct,” A voice echoed, “but really? This little time sphere of mine is the least of your worries, my boisterous prey.”

The archangel of valor felt a wave of intense disgust roll over him as he turned towards the doors of the museum, eyes narrowing and already knowing who he would find there. It was the woman from before, her civilian clothes melting away in a shimmer of power to reveal strange armor beneath that was similar in style to what the bastard Imperius had fought in the complex wore. Small bubbles of arcane energy were already starting to rise to dance about her shoulders as she looked down upon the group with a look of absolute triumph. 

“At last, I finally have you in my web,” she drawled, her voice gratingly familiar and smug, although a touch more childish in its glee, “You weren’t easy to hunt down, you know. Usually your kind aren’t able to simply vanish out of sight, but I suppose you found some new hole to hide in.”

Imperius growled, letting the disguise slip away, one hand held out as Solarion materialized in his hand, “I had a feeling you were more than what you seemed,” he retorted, “You look so much like a damanble, aggravating, overzealous bitch of a wizard I knew in the past. Only more grating upon my nerves.”

She chuckled, her eyes narrowed and something dark glinted in her blue orbs, “How very droll of you. Really I’m honored! The nepehelem of the past were powerful in their own right, but really, I’ve left them behind. They were held back from their potential by morals and the idiots who began to fear them,” the woman smirked, raising a hand to brush her fingers under the underside of one of the orbs, “And unlike them, I’ll make sure to bring you to your knees properly, oh archangel of valor.”

“I would like to see you try,” Imperius sneered, wings flaring, “Your kind have tried before to subdue me and all have failed. You will be no different. Just another brat I need to put in her place.”

Behind him, he could feel the shimmer of energy as Ira and Samurel dropped their own disguises, weapons materializing in hand. Aladria’s appearance too had shifted, now donned in her own armor, the book of Tyrael clutched in one hand. All silent, tense, and knowing there was a difficult fight ahead.

The dark nephelem chuckled, her eyes narrowing as she watched the group prepare for the fight, making no move to stop them. Instead she spread her arms wide, almost inviting an attack then as she grinned, cocking her head to the side.

“Ah, but I am different! I am not like the delusional, idiots of the past who fought mindless against Hell, not understand the true goal of the three,” She said, “I am superior to them in all aspects. They are burnt out, but I am a star of rare beauty and power that is unmatched” Her grin took on an almost feral quality, her eyes widening and blazing with an absolute glee of the carnage she was about to wield against the group, “And today, you will be honored to see a demonstration of my power right before I reduce you all to dust.”

Aladria stepped forward, glaring at the woman, book clutched to her chest, “And would you really risk so many causalities just to try and take us captive?”

“Take the archangel captive,” the woman corrected with a smirk, “The rest of you are of little consequences and really, you think my boss cares about some mortal lives lost? Just as long as it is kept to a minimum and the collateral is barely noticeable, there won’t be a care. But if it puts your mind at ease…”

The woman laughed as she raised one of her hands and gave a snap of her fingers. The crowds of people began to vanish away, leaving the place empty, “There was no crowd to begin with. Only an illusion this whole time.” She cooed.

Samurel and Ira jumped as the people around winked out of existence, the latter cursing under her breath, “….clever bitch.”

“Better than a stupid one,” The dark nephelem said with a chuckle, “This museum has been subtly closed to the public and made to appear as if open. One of our elite nephelem had visions you would come to this place at some point. It was just a matter of setting a trap and waiting for you to walk headfirst into it.”

Imperius felt irritation rise in his resonance as he glowered at this nephelem abomination before him. Of course Mephisto would not let talents like the vecin go untouched for his own dark uses. A clever use as well that proactively aided evil while no doubt those who would use it for good remained miserably silent out of misplaced fear. It was no surprise that such foresight would fall to evil. Those visions though, combined with the fact the nephelite had masked the wizard’s energy had more or less set them up for a perfect, unknown trap.

That mortal ingenuity and adaption that made them so unpredictable was the one tactic no enemy, Heaven or Hell, could prepare for beyond a doubt.

However, there was a flaw to the whole thing, one brought about the one sin of Hell that had often caused the demon lords and their pawns to fall: a brazen show of hubris.

The fact this woman wished to introduce herself and make it known who would take them down at least gave them the advantage of a fair, direct fight, rather than some cowardly sneak attack to scramble to adapt to.

“Do you have a name, nephelem, or shall I simply call you a hell-bitch?” Imperius drawled. 

The dark nephelem chuckled, raising one hand, power starting to collect about it, “You may call me Lihua, archangel. I’ll make sure it is the last name on your breath as they tear you apart in a lab.”

Imperius snorted, shoulders hunching forward, “We will see.” 

He hadn’t asked the question out of respect. Such courtesy was merely a ploy to keep her talking just a little bit more as his wings twitched and moved, conveying his orders to Ira and Samurel. The two angels at his back had already subtly moved into position, a few steps made more as if to get a better look at their foe. There was no sense of personal strife in that moment. Above all else, they were angels of valor, well-trained warriors and officers that could put aside such things in favor of unity in battle. A small glance back and a flick of their own wings showed they were ready.

Imperius snorted, hefting up his spear in both hands, wings flaring wide, “So are you going to continue boring me to death, and are you going to actually show you have some bite?” He snarled loudly.

Lihua’s grin was a bit more forced, teeth bared as she raised both hands, building up huge orbs of burning blue energy, “Oh, I’m going to enjoy choking the voice right out of you!”

The dark nepehlem let out a shout as she threw both hands forward, sending forth a powerful ray of destruction at the group. Ira and Samurel were already on the move before the spell left her hands, both taking off in opposite directions in a wide arch to come in to flank Lihua. Aladria shouted out her own words of power, raising her hands and bringing up a powerful shimmering shield that re-directed the powerful beam back towards Lihua, causing her to have to dodge out of the way, only to drop down as Imperius was soon beside her, bringing Solarion around in a deadly arc that nearly took her head from her shoulders.

The nephelem spellcaster snarled, although forced a grin onto her face as she leapt back, levitating backwards quickly out of Imperius’s range, both hands rising again in a powerful attack, “How adorable! A defensive shield spell!” She sneered unleashing a sudden wave of electricity around her, forcing Samurel and Ira to pull back, “But really, a true master of the arcane knows that all you need is a strong offense!” 

Lihua threw both hands forward again, sending energy lancing forward in short, rapid beams of liquid fire. Imperius was forced to move quickly, blinking about the battlefield as Aladria hunkered down, strengthening her defensive spells with a growl. Samurel ducked in close, drawing her fire towards him and leading her attention away, creating a small window of opportunity for Ira to duck in for a hit.

The nephelem spellcaster’s eyes widened as the spear came down. However instead of hitting flesh, the weapon passed through Lihua as she teleported away quickly, sending out a flash of twin illusions in her place to take the hit. She appeared a distance away, chuckling, her eyes narrowed. 

“Oh you are being a wretched crew, all four of you against one. Not good odds for me,” she said, a slow smirk spreading across her lips as she let out a lash of power against the edges of the time sphere, “But luckily, I have a few friends of my own!”

The time sphere shimmered as black clad guards began to press in from side of the sphere that faced the street, weapons at the read. The familiar crackle of the debilitating resonance interference weaponry filled the air and already shots were being lined up. Imperius let out a growled, barely sparing a glance back before he was moving to get into the air, ducking and weaving as a hail of bullets were aimed at him.

There was no cover, forcing the group into defensive manuvers. Aladria dropped down in a moment of panic before she was throwing up her hands to erect a shield against the weapons. Her eyes were wide, but she was quick to swallow back her fear and call again upon her own power and slammed her foot down upon the ground. Stone and earth rose up between herself and the incoming fire, taking on the shape of a barbarian of a man. Another push of Aladria’s hand, sent the mountainous construct crashing forward with a roar, an avalanche that quickly scattered Lihua’s reinforcements and forcing them on the defensive. Still, behind them, there were more troops coming in, and already Aladria was starting to look worn. She was not use to such use of her abilities, nor trained as extensively as those in the past.

Still the scholar called upon the book again to send another wave of earth crashing forward.

One of the men managed to duck around the second onslaught, raising his gun only to scream as a spear was plunged downwards through his head as Samurel appeared. The general-major spared little time pulling away, ducking and weaving against the incoming assault and picking off the stragglers to Aladria’s attack while Ira and Imperius continued to press the assault on Lihua.

Ira was snarling, wings smoking now as she pursued the dark nephelem across the now destroyed atrium and gardens, launching a series of vicious attacks forward. Lihua was on the defensive, throwing fire and ice towards the captain of the luminarei with wild abandonment and increasingly more powerful blasts. When Ira had her attention though, Imperius was there, pushing forward, holy fire flaring from the tip of Solarion with each strike, pressing her to retreat about further. 

Fire collided with lightning and pure energy, letting out ripples of intense power that tore up the ground more and seemed to choke the air itself with heat only to rapidly freeze when an attack of ice was unleashed. Lihua though was pressed in tight between the two unlenting forces and soon, was letting out a scream as she teleported away, a flash of blood escaping her side as Solarion seared through armor and flesh like butter.

The dark nephelem’s eyes were wide as she looked at the wound. It was not lethal, but the pain was in her expression. Her surprise though rapidly turned to pure rage and the crackle of arcane power around her seemed to double and grow, her eyes glowing in pure rancor. She let out a sudden cry of rage, sending out a seething ring of writhing energy, tendrils rising up to lash out at anything around her. The move forced the archangel back and Ira let out a curse as she was forced to back-pedal, pulling a hard bank to the right along the perimeter of the spell. 

“You are being a horrible nuisance!” Lihua snarled, lashing out with another wave of energy towards Ira, “My duel is with the archangel, not with gnats like you!”

“Then hurry up and swat me bitch!” Ira sneered, “Or I’ll just keep buzzing in your ear and ripping your bloody brains out!” 

Lihua ducked away quickly as Imperius came back in, his powerful attacks scoring a few hits against her armor, one of the cuts of his blade leaving a gash now in her side. There was pain and fury in the woman’s eyes as she teleported back. Both her hands raised up and an almost maniacal grin growing on her lips. 

“Swat gnats you say!? I can swat gnats!” Lihua spat, “And I’ll start with your weakest, most insignificant gnat of them all!” 

Imperius felt the draw of power, intense enough that he felt it pull upon his soul. Lihua’s eyes were blazing with a hellish aura as she let out a scream, firing off the blast at Ira. The attack was easy to dodge and Ira moved out of the way, smirking. Imperius though felt horror rise in his soul though as the beam launched towards another.

The attack was not meant for Ira.

It was meant for mortal woman who had her back to Lihua at that moment, her attention on keeping up the onslaught that was keeping the reinforcements of the enemy at bay.

“Aladria!” 

The warning came late. 

The scholar was halfway turned towards the powerful burst of energy, eyes already widening in fear. Panic seized her and her arms came up as she let out a scream, as that would somehow defend against the onslaught about consume her whole.

Everything happened in an instant although it appeared as if time was moving a crawl.

There was a flash of light and Aladria was all but thrown bodily to the side as Samurel appeared, wings flared out. As the mortal scholar fell away to the side, the major-general was already pivoting away, form lighting up again for another jump.

All of it just a second too late.

The blast connected just as Samurel teleported, a sound of metal ripping away being the only sound that seemed to echo in the air.

Aladria let out a scream as Samurel crashed down next to her out of the half teleport, trailing molten metal and a bright splatter of glowing blood. Imperius was there in an instant, only half aware of Ira’s shriek as she appeared beside him, dropping down to where Samurel now lay.

Lihua only shrieked in laughter, shaking her head, “And that is one gnat down!”

The ground was quickly becoming soaked in angelic blood. The blast had ripped through armor, leaving only molten, dripping metal where Samurel’s entire right leg had been, up to nearly his chest. There wasn’t even a scream of pain, the shock of the hit already robbing the fallen angel of enough reason he could not find strength enough to form sound. His wings were flickering, growing dim as what was left of his form started to lose color, collapsing inward in places.

“Samurel!” Ira was grasping onto his shoulders as his head lolled back listlessly against her lap, “Samurel, please! You can’t die, not like this! Not like fucking this you asshole!” 

Imperius looked helplessly over the damage, the wound too sever to even try and attempt to stem the energy bleed. There was too much. Just too much. The archangel of valor tensed, hearing another peel of laughter from Lihua, quickly turning towards Aladria,” I need a shield, the strongest you can make it! Buy us some time!” 

Imperius’s words jolted Aladria from her shock, the essense of his valor seeping into her soul and wresting it away from terror’s grip, “Ah! Y-yes! I will!”

Aladria swallowed hard, grip tightening about the book as she gritted her teeth, pulling all the energy she could into her body before with a scream, threw her hands. The air shimmered before light surrounded them, spires like those of Heaven rising up around them in a tight fortification. The spell though only had Lihua laughing as she came forward, throwing blast after blast at the new shield.

“Oh please! Like that will stop me now! I have three more bodies to make today!”

Imperius ignored her words and the thumps of her shots hitting Aladria’s shield. He knew the scholar would hold out as long as she could. The archangel of valor dropped down to his knees beside the dying angel, grasping hard onto one of Samurel’s bloody hand. His resonance reached out, clutching onto that fading energy and pushed, doing what he could to stoke the fire of valor, to spark up the courage to struggle for life. 

All angels could heal their form with time. The bleeding could be stopped with enough will to focus on reforming. What might be lethal for mortals could be surmounted if the shock of an attack did not send an angel’s resonance into too much disarray. Samurel was still alive, although he was fading, still without a sound, his resonance nothing but shattered, broken screams slowly fading one by one.

“Come on you bastard! You aren’t going out like this!” Ira snarled, clutching onto Samurel tightly, “It isn’t that bad! Just a flesh wound! How am I going to be able to yell at you anymore if you are dead!?”

Samurel’s form trembled, there was no grip returned to Imperius’s hand. The bleeding wasn’t stopping, his essense continue to surge out, staining the armor of the archangel’s knees. Imperius pushed forward in vain, desperately trying to surmount the chaso of the other angel’s soul and bring back reasoning, but other forces were at work. Notes of despair and hurt still rang so deep, a dark, deep well of emotions slowly drawing the light into it as surely as a demon of hell.

Samurel was going to die unless he was taken to Heaven and into the care of the healers among the host of hope who could counter such forces. 

All around them though enemies were closing in. A single portal was all that was needed, but to open one may just lead dangerous forces into the heart of Heaven itself.

The words of his instructors, his thousands of years of battle told him that one life is not worth the many. Something else though, something more instinctual deep in his soul, was moved to immediate action.

Imperius rose quickly to his feet, clutching onto Solarion and bringing the weapon down hard against the ground. A shockwave burst forward, shattering through the shield and pushing forward, throwing back all attacks and sending Lihua and her cohorts falling back head over heels at the sheer force of it.. The shockwave tore up the ground, ripping into the buildings and blowing out glass but there was little time to think about the collateral damage as the time bubble burst. 

As soon as the shockwave had begun, Imperius reached towards the arch, linking its energy to Solarion and ripping open a portal, bringing forth Heaven’s light through the dust that had been thrown up.

Aladria staggered, eyes wide as she looked back at Imperius, “What are you-“

“Ira! Take Samurel and go! Aladria! Follow her through! Quickly!” Imperius roared, as a portal opened up.

“But what about-“

“Go!”

Ira did not hesitate, scoping up the dying angel in her arms and darting forward in a flash to pass through, a trail of blood in her wake. Aladria looked between Imperius and the portal, clutching the book to her chest, even as another heave of energy hit against her shield. The spell was faltering, flickering, allowing more tendrils of mana to sneak through and lash against the ground.

All around, the enemy was getting back up, following after the dark nepehelem as she came blasting forward, ripping apart the remnants of Aladria’s spell.

Imperius, I can help! I can-“

“You can go, now!” he snarled, crouching low preparing for the incoming enemy, “I will be behind you, but let not this become a distraction and there be more casualties to this whole affair!”

The mortal bit her lip, taking a hesitant step back, “Imperius-“

“Go! This is not time for debate or do you wish for another to sacrifice their life for yours!?”

It was a harsh statement, but everything was happening quickly now. Lihua was nearly on them now, both her hands crackling with power that was tearing up the ground, her eyes wide with a psychotic bloodlust as her eyes fell upon the portal.

“Ah! So that is where you’ve been hiding!” she crowed, “How nice of you to show the way so I may be able to butcher the rest of your misbegotten kind!” 

Aladria looked between the two before she sprinted towards the portal as Lihua and Imperius collided. Another shockwave rushed over the ground as her power clashed with Imperius’s own, the archangel pushed back a few inches before he managed to throw her aside with his spear. The dark nephelem though did not retreat, merely stepping back just enough so she could move in quickly, both her hands closing over the shaft of Solarion as she grinned at the archangel. Before Imperius could tug the weapon back out of her grasp, her hands flared and a sudden, intense wave of power collided with the archangel, sending him flying head over heels against the ground, armor shrieking as it dragged over ground. He managed to roll onto his stomach, claws flexing out as he used them to bring his momentum to a halt, gaze fixed on the laughing nephelem before him.

Lihua smirked as she held his spear, letting a flare of power rush over it to suspend it in a blue glow, “Is this what you are using to get to and from Heaven? Would you mind terribly if I used this key for my own uses?”

Solarion flared, consumed by her power and the portal to Heaven began to shudder, soon starting to expand wider with a sickly purple sheen. A sick feeling filled Imperius’s soul at the very idea his weapon was being used by this Nephelem. All around her soldiers moved in.

If the portal wasn’t closed, this bloodbath would enter into Heaven. More would be killed. 

All their work undone.

Imperius surged forward, adrenaline fueling his resonance to a new fury as he all but slammed nto the woman, wings wrapping about her with searing strength and all but throwing her across the ground. Lihua screamed as she hit the ground, burns blistering over exposed skin and melting through armor from the archangel’s touch. Impeirus paid her no mind, gripping onto his weapon and giving a pull only to discover the weapon wouldn’t budge, no longer would respond to his call. Something in this bitch’s magic was blocking it from him.

“There is nothing you can do now, archangel!” Lihua sneered, rising to her feet slowly, “The spear, your loyal weapon is mine now and soon Heaven as well will be under our control!”

The archangel’s grip tightened on the spear. 

Hatred burned in his soul for her, writhing within him and causing the corruption to lurch. 

Let him be damned before he would let the insane bitch destroy his shinning Heaven.

There was only one thing left to do and his entire soul cried in a miserable agony. 

Lihua’s laughter caught in her throat as Imperius’s grip heated up upon the weapon, his wings surging forward with fire to wrap about the metal there and pull tight. A loud shriek filled the air as the metal of Solarion slowly began to give, the minute structural weaknesses that only its forger would know being exploited. The dark nephelem’s eyes widened in shock as she realized what Imperius was doing.

“You! How dare you-“

Her retort was cut off by a deafening roar as Solarion finally broke into pieces, the energy ripping away from the holy weapon. The spell of the nephelem was cast off and in that moment, Imperius heard the weapon’s finally cry, the final burst of its resonance before it fell to the ground in sparking pieces.

Solarion had been broken by the forces of Hell in the past, but against such unholy powers, the soul of the spear endured, still resonating with Imperius and able to be made anew at a thought.

This though was different. This was destruction at his own hands and he himself breaking his ties to the beloved weapon that had served him faithfully for so long.

Imperius felt his soul shuddering with grief as he watched the shards of Solarion fall to the ground, fading quickly to a tarnished black as all life left it. 

The deed was not yet done.

Imperius spared little time to his grief before unleashing the fire of his own wings to reduce those shards to lumps of melted slag, destroying any chance the weapon could be remade. Behind him, the portal to heaven winked shut. Once more closing it off to Mephisto’s mortal pawns.

It was a necessary sacrifice to make for the safety of Heaven, but that now left him with no means to return to Heaven.

A howl of rage filled the air and Imperius turned, posture tense and ready for a fight as Lihua came flying at him, eyes wild with rage and her hands blazing with arcane power.

“You! How dare you take away my victory!” She shrieked, launching blow after blow at Imperius, “I will rip your wings off for this! I will make you pay!”

 

Imperius moved back, avoiding the strikes before turning about, bringing his tail about and striking against Lihua with the vicious barbs at the tip. The nepehelm shrieked, forced to retreat back glaring hatefully at Imperius. The archangel of valor straightened himself to his full height, wings spreading wide, tail lashing hard against the ground and he could feel the claws on his hand seem to lengthen in preparation for a new fight.

“I would rather die than let you come anywhere close to Heaven,” Imperius snarled, tail giving another agitated flick.

She smiled at him, the act forced and more feral as it twisted to a near sneer, “Oh, you’ll wish you had died when I finish with you, you wretched abomination!”

There were screams now as the time freeze had vanished, leaving clear the damage upon the courtyard to the mortals beyond. The soldiers with Lihua were closing in, weapons crackling in an effort to contain the situation. The archangel of valor knew there was no victory here if he stayed, not when he wished to avoid unnecessary casualties of mortals who had no idea of what they fought, clueless as sheep to the slaughter. 

The only one he wanted dead was Lihua but the odds were stacked against him.

The best course of action was to retreat and find Tyrael and Tevar to open a second portal to Heaven and take this small loss.

Imperius surged upwards, rising like a rocket, fire trailing behind him. He took pleasure in hearing LIhua’s shrill shrieks of anger and knew she would pursue him but knowing he could get ahead of the dark nephelem. 

Even the nephelem at the height of their power had a difficult time keeping up with an angel in full flight. Imperius shot forward above the city, keeping just low enough to duck and dodge around the roofs of the skyscrapers. Bursts of power slammed into the buildings around him, sending showers of debris falling downwards. The mad woman had no pretense for the safety of her fellow mortals no reducing damages. She was consumed only by the desire to capture him, pushing herself to her limit as she tore after him, using her levitation abilities to spring board her from rooftop to rooftop. 

The archangel of valor winked out of sight, teleporting to the other side of the building to put more distance between them and shake her from his trail. He heard her scream and then a sudden draw of power, more intense than any before to the point the clouds above were being dragged down towards her in a vacuum of her power. 

“You want to play this game of hide-and-seek angel!? Then I’ll play! I’ll make sure nothing is left standing between me and you!” She howled. 

Imperius felt his soul catch in his chest. The building was filled with mortals. Innocent lives. Souls who had nothing to do with this conflict nor in this pursuit. He should turn in leave. They didn’t concern him.

The archangel of valor cursed himself as he turned around in mid-air, flashing forward towards Lihua again. The woman screamed as she was tackled, her blast going upwards into the sky, ripping it apart and making the day seem to turn briefly to night under its power. Imperius shifted to try and get his claws into her just as she struggled to get free of his grip. The two crashed onto the roof of the nearest building, the dark nephelem wheezing from the impact, but managing to get a knee up between them and a hand free to launch an attack and force the archangel off her. The spell did not hit, but it left Imperius blind for a moment as he stumbled back, giving Lihua enough time to send another spell crashing against him.

There was not as much energy behind the attack. She was starting to lose steam now after the last incredible blast, but that did not mean she was defeated. Imperius was nearly on all fours, tail swishing out behind him as he glared hatefully at the woman, small splatters of blood falling against the ground from the minor wounds that had been ripped into his armor.

Lihua spat, sneering at him as she raised her hands, gathering power again at her fingertips, “And they call you the spirit of valor when you run!? How pathetic!” 

“Says the one willing to slaughter innocence just to try and get to me!” Imperius retorted charging forward, “But I’ll make sure you will not stand to ever do so again!” 

There was no point in running. There was just hope in Tyrael’s arrival to his location. The huge blast the woman had unleashed should serve as a beacon enough for the archangel of justice if he had been called to this location. He was sure Aladria or Ira had raised the alarm. 

He just had to hold out a brief moment longer against Lihua. 

The woman let out a gasp as Imperius slammed a fist up into her chest, sending her flying back against the ground. She was quick to levitate herself up, wincing as she grasped her side, “I’ll show you what power is, archangel! I’ll show you the full fury of the nephelem!”

Imperius felt the draw of power keenly and the air seemed to suddenly heat up before she let out a series of controlled explosions forward. Imperius ducked and weaved, but even being inches away from where the explosion went off caused shockwaves to erupt and after one close dodge, he found himself being thrown across the roof and slammed hard into the wall of a structure there. His senses were ringing, his vision swimming as he staggered to get back before he felt something shoe hard against his neck and slam him back against the wall.

Imperius let out a roar as he felt the energy rip through his resonance, scattering it and with it, blindingly intense pain. Lihua was snarling as she pushed forward with the hand, slowly forcing Imperius down to one knee, pushing him flush against the wall. Tendrils rose up to latch onto his tail and wings, holding them back from assisting him as he felt his strength at last start to wane. 

“In the end, you really were just as weak as those other, pathetic angels,” She sneered from between bloody and bruised lips when he finally began to go limp. 

The intensity lessened, just enough to keep from burning his very soul away, but still enough to keep him feeling weak, one hand tugging in vain against the grip at his throat. Lihua smirked, raising a hand to touch the com on her head, “This is Brilliant Star. I have the archangel in custody. Send the detainment squad.” 

If there was a response to her call, Imperius didn’t hear it. His head was spinning and he dully noted a hum drawing closer. He could see Lihua standing over him, smirking in her victory. He felt his resonance weakening, unable to gather itself to push back under the intensity of the electrical interference she was unleashing upon him.

As the light in him weakened though, a darkness surged up. Hatred bloomed in his core, spreading like a fire as the corruption began to surge.

Everything seemed to narrow in focus on the dark nephelem before him. The nephelem who killed and threatened his kind. The nephelem that looked like the she-wizard who had locked him away. The nephelem that had brought him to his knees and now gloated in her victory.

He hated her.

He wanted to kill her.

He wanted to rip her apart.

His wings, now filled with smoke as his resonance weakened began to spark up with fire again, a red blow starting to rumble in the black smoke. It felt like his core was burning now, a fire of hatred seething and sweltering in him. A strength began to return as he shakily reached up to grasp onto her wrist, a low rumble in his chest escaping as he started to slowly push her back and rise again to his feet.

He was faintly aware of a cracking sound as he rose and the sound of metal pieces against the ground. Something moved about his head where there hadn’t been movement before and a low sound, a primordial, bestial sound was rising in his chest along with the all-consuming heat that had started to broil in his soul. He rose as Lihua’s eyes widened and she started to try and push her hand forward, even as he began to pry it off, claws digging into skin and drawing blood. 

There was no triumph in her eyes, only an intense horror born out of instinctual fear as Imperius staggered to his feet, one clawed hand digging into her wrist to keep her in place.

“No! You can’t possibly….! You can’t do this!” she stammered out, her voice so weak sounding now.

So very frail.

There was no mercy though. There was hatred in his soul, a desire to survive mixed with a desire to utterly annihilate her. She was a threat.

One that needed to be destroyed. 

There was power again in his soul as he raised a hand to grip the side of her head, claws digging into the fragile skin as she screamed, struggling now. She raised her other hand now, starting to draw power to it as Imperius’s grip tightened, forcing her mouth open. The cracking continued and the snarl began to grow in volume as heat seemed to rush up from deep within him, up his throat and into his head. Lihua was screaming more, her spell nearly complete.

A roar that would put the lords of Hell to shame escaped Imperius as fire rushed forth, cascading over newly formed teeth of his new maw, rushing into the open mouth of the nephelem.

Lihua managed a scream before the blood and viscera in her skull boiled away, skin pealing back from muscle, and then peeling back from bone. Her entire body jerked as the lava-like deluge cascaded into and burned down her throat, bursting organs and blood vessels. The air was filled with the pungent odor of burning flesh as the torrent came to a halt at last, Imperius’s grip loosened, dropping the half burned corpse fall to the ground. It burst as it hit the ground, the molten mess poured inside of her pouring out boiling fat and flesh.

The whirl of helicopters were above Imperius as he turned to see troops pile onto the roof. Still more were coming out of the door, weaposn already drawn and trained on the corrupted archangel. 

Imperius’s tail lashed out behind him, slamming spines against the ground as it thickened and lengthened and a low snarled escaped him. Trickles of lava still dripped from his maw as he eyed his new foes, wings twitching and clicking together in agitation. A part of him was in horror, but it was buried under the thrall of the corruption that saw only threats. 

Imperius let loose with another howling roar as the troops opened fire. He moved forward, ignoring the bullets that tore through armor and flesh, crashing into the troops. They mighta s well have been standing still as he tore into them. His tail lashed out, the spines ripping through bodies like a sickle through wheat and his claws found purchase tearing out throats and digging into soft bellies. The frenzy of the blood made it all seem so distance, a strange excitement in his soul as he leaned forward, unaware of the teeth that had now formed to clamp the formed maw about one man, tearing them in half in a spray of blood. 

There was the taste of blood that filled Imperius with an almost nauseating pleasure, as if the purest of songs had touched upon his soul. The blood was filled with energy, of souls, of something to consume. To devour these creatures like the cattle they were would be-

The thought brought reality crashing back down and Imperius let the body he had in his hands drop, a wet gasp escaping him. Blood trickled down the sides of his helmet as he slowly raised his hands to it, tracing along it. He wanted to feel the familiar edges of the metal forged from his very resonance. Instead, there was something alien there against his claws. 

The upper part felt as it always had, but the lower half felt strange, almost alient to his touch. Revulsion filled Imperius as he stepped back from the slaughter before him and the corpses of men pilled upon the ground. The helicopter had pulled back, no doubt to avoid the slaughter.

All around him was silence save for a few whimpers from the dying and the slow drip of blood upon the ground.

“Imperius!”

The archangel of valor did not turn towards the faint tremor of a resonance he felt as he moved over to the nearest shoulder, wrenching the dead body up to look upon his own hideous reflection in the dark visor. He stared back at a nightmare. The lower part of his helmet had broken away to form the bottom of an incoming jaw, the teeth bared in a sinister looking grin with a second pare of teeth starting to emerge behind the first row. The serrated edges were layered, some curled forward and others curled back to ensure the most efficient means to rip and tear into flesh and armor alike. 

There was no blackness behind those teeth, but glimmers of glowing fire that seemed to extend downwards in the slow formation of a throat. The tendrils of corruption were now curling up against the side of his head, the small buds of incoming horns could be seen and his halo had started to fold, as if it now strained to connect to his helmet rather than float free.

He looked far more demonic now than angelic. There was barely even a hint of his familiar form in his new reflection.

“Imperius what…what happened? We came as soon as we got the message you came under attack!”

Imperius didn’t turn around to face Tyrael and Tevar. He did not want to see the look of horror Tevar no doubt wore. He could feel it as it were already in Tyrael’s trembling resonance but it felt more muted now, like trying to listen through a closed door to a song that he should know. A cold grip of disgust clutched at Imperius’s core as he slowly rose to his feet, his wings flicking out before drawing close to his back.

“Imperius are you…are you still you?”

There was concern in Tyrael’s voice and a glance over his shoulder saw that the archangel of justice already had his sword drawn should the worse come to pat. Imperius looked away again, one hand rising to his chest.

“I am myself….” He rasped, wincing at the low, guttural sound that slurred out his body and at the horrid feeling of his jaw moving to start to form the words haltingly, “But…it has grown worse.”

“We can talk about it when we get home. Away from all this,” Tevar said, boldly stepping up next to Imperius and reaching up to touch his shoulder, “Let’s get you home.”

Home.

Heaven.

A place holy and filled with light.

Imperius looked back down at the corpse, the mortal’s face twisted in horror and the black visor reflecting only the hideous demon he was turning into.

The archangel of valor clenched his hands to try and stem the tremble to his body. 

“You two need to get back.” He said quietly, “You will need to regroup.”

“You mean us,” Tevar interjected stubbornly, eyes narrowed, “We are going back to regroup and figure out our next move.” 

“Tevar-“

“If you are not lost, you are still with us, no matter what changes the corruption brings,” Tyrael said quietly, sheathing El’druin, “Perhaps in Heaven, the power of the arch can help keep the changes better at-“

“There is barely anything left of me to save!” 

Imperius turned around then to face the two. Tevar and Tyrael both took a step back. The mortal’s eyes widened some as he took in Imperius’s appearance. The reaction had Imperius pulling back, one hand rising to his chest, now more scale and flesh, “There is no stopping the spread of this corruption and now, now I’m barely even holding control.” He finally said, lowering his voice, “At this rate, it could be mere days before I succumb completely.”

“But you are still in control now,” Tevar snapped, eyes narrowed, “So let’s just get you home. For all we know, Malthael has a quick fix to all of this ready and waiting!”

Imperius glanced up at the two. Tyrael was already opening a portal back to Heaven and in the rippling visage of the portal’s surface, he could see his home. The shining spires and the light of the arch brought an ach to his soul.

He could go back to Heaven and stay put and hope that something could be done to save him. There was always that small chance at salvation against all odds, that glimmer of hope to cling onto.

Imperius glanced about at the bloody corpses of mortals, torn apart like paper and spilling the contents of their body over the ground in a macabre display. The smell of burning flesh from the nephelem, once so powerful, was rancid. All that was left of her was bubbling flesh. He was capable of incredible, horrendous violence beyond his control. As his mind struggled, the corruption was working its way deeper, trying to twist his every thought ant take away what lucidity he still maintained.

How long before he lost control completely and fell to the chaotic desires of hatred in his soul? What if it happened while he was in Heaven? How many might he kill when he finally fell?

Imperius’s hand clenched against his chest at that thought.

Slowly his gaze lifted back towards Tevar and Tyrael, both standing their expectantly, expecting him to come home with them.

The archangel of valor’s wings pulled close to his back, the burning lines starting to look more formed together like the wings of a bat.

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly, “But I cannot return, not when I could become a threat to all of you. We cannot cling to mad hope when it can undo everything that we have done to restore Heaven.”

“Imperius-“

“I cannot stand with you as I am. What I am now.” Imperius murmured, head bowed.

“You can’t just give up like that!” Tevar hissed, “You are all that keeps us fucking together! You keep us going!”

“We need your valor Imperius and you will not harm anyone. I will not let you suffer harming our kin,” Tyrael said quietly, “Let us protect you now, Imperius.”

Imperius could have laughed. His soul ached and he felt the corruption writhe, eager to try and claim the last bit of his soul that remained. 

He wanted to believe them but they couldn’t feel it, couldn’t see that it was already too late.

Imperius shook his head and took a small step back, “I leave my flight to Ignaceus and Tyrael, I leave the throne to you.”

“Imperius-“

“Goodbye brothers.” 

Imperius bowed his head and threw his thoughts away, teleporting away, the desperate shouts of Tyrael and Tevar following him as he retreated away.

There was nothing to do now but seek a final resting place, a final hill to die upon before the corruption claimed every last bit of him.

He would at least make sure he would take as many of Mephisto’s spawn with him.


	28. Valor's Will

There was a noted chill in the air, a small whisper that made it clear that the Khanduras winter was just about to set. Already the mornings had become characterized by the cling of frost upon windows and what few weeds managed to sprout up in the cracks of the city. The wind was starting to pick up more, coming in from the north, and driving the summer warmth further to the east and into the deserts around Lut Gholein.

Already the mortals were preparing for the encroaching winter. They bundled up tight in thicker clothing and used some sort of new technology to heat their homes and shopping areas which spilled into the streets from time to time with a blast of welcomed warmth. Decorations were changing and the city seemed to be like the trees, changing with the seasons and making the passage of time feel like it was moving a bit faster.

On the streets, in the dark, forgotten corners of the city though, the warmth was felt less. The dregs of society began their own migration to warmer thresholds and stinking alleyways to capture what warmth could be found. They huddled together in packs as evening came and then dispersed once more when dawn began to warm the morning.

It was in such dark, dreary corners of the city that Imperius called home. Everything about the place was wretched and broken. The fear, the pain, and despair that mortals afflicted upon each other was a cesspool of energy that weighed down upon the shoulders and all but drew demons to the underbelly of cities in the hundreds to feed. There was nothing about the place that didn’t make Imperius’s core roil with disgust. This was the side of humanity that no one wanted to address. The streets filled with murder and drugs, of desperation and destitution. Where misery was a constant companion and hope had long since burned out.

The streets of these mortal cities might as well been a new sphere of Hell as far as Imperius was concerned, especially with the amount of demons that hunted and killed without anyone glancing their way. The mortals cast to this place weren’t cared about by others.

Much like sacrifices thrown to the jaws of death. 

However, that also meant that Imperius found plenty of demons to satiate his own desires to pile up corpses in order to get Mephisto’s attention that someone was very clearly making a point to rip apart his perfect paradise. After two months of living on the streets though, so far nothing had really confronted Imperius save for low level demons and the occasional larger one with a bit more bite.

The archangel of valor shoved his hand into his pockets as if to indicate he was suffering any discomfort from the cold. His eyes were fixed ahead on the sidewalk ahead that broke away from the warehouses and abandoned factories that clung to the outskirts of the city. Here, the crowds of the city never reached and only the dregs of society tended to lurk underneath the skeletons of the massive industrial complexes that once reigned supreme. The area was thick with a fog that had rolled off the river as the evening fell, making it seem as if the very air was lit up like an inferno. 

The disguised archangel hunched his shoulders as a cool breeze rushed over him, bringing with it the hint of campfire. That gave him slight pause. The smell of smoke out here usually indicated some sort of camp or gathering place.

A good point to try and pick up a trail of some roving pack of demons.

Imperius began to veer off the sidewalk then, starting to edge his way down through the tall grass and broken fences at the edge of a work yard, heading closer to the river. Ahead, the smell of smoke was stronger and in the fading twilight, the twinkle of a fire could be seen below one of the old railroad bridges that traversed the river. As the disguised archangel drew closer he could make out a few dark forms sitting about the fire, huddled in close to take in the heat. Carts and bags rested near some of the occupants of the camp, filled with odds and ends scavenged on the streets or purchased with what money could be raised. Others carried nothing visible, hoarding the essentials to life within their coats and jackets as they warmed themselves by the crackling flame.

As Imperius approached, those about the fire glanced up, shoulders tensing as they assessed him carefully. 

The archangel only cocked his head some, raising up both hands out of his pockets as he drew closer to the fire, “Got room for one more?”

“Always room pal,” one of the older men murmured, rubbing his hands together, “Not bringing any trouble in though, are ya?”

“No trouble,” Imperius said quietly, “Just passing through.”

The man who spoke nodded, stroking his beard, “Good, good. Been a lot of trouble lately, a lot of folks going missing,” he said, “No bodies or anything. Just gone.”

“Always could have moved on,” A woman across from the man murmured, dull eyes staring blankly ahead, “People always are coming and going.”

“Maybe,” the man glanced tiredly at Imperius as the disguised angel made a show of warming his hands by the fire, “But some of em, they’ve been in these parts all their life, homeless or otherwise. They ain’t the kind of people to just up and leave.”

A younger man, face still devoid of the usual ragged facial hair of those who had suffered through longer stretches on the street, snorted, giving a shake of his head, “Come on Heig. No need to start getting all morose on the new guy.”

Heig frowned, “Not getting morose, Glen. Just telling it like it is. Folks like us got no one but each other to pass along news and warnings.”

Imperius paid little mind to the conversation, his gaze trailing over those at the camp before returning to the fire. It was the usual chatter and Heig’s remarks about people vanishing was not a new warning. From his time living on the streets, Imperius had learned quickly that people going missing was a rather common place occurrence. What had changed though was the frequency of disappearances in the city. Those at the bottom, like rats on a sinking ship, were aware that there was some unknown danger becoming more vicious.

The forces of Hell were riled up. It was if the demons could sense their old enemy no doubt gaining strength and the echoes of the eternal conflict were starting to rise in volume once more. The mortals though were more blind to the danger brewing in their world as so many ignored the less fortunate and wrote off their predicament as simply a sad turn of events. There were warnings that their ancestors would have noted and begun to prepare against. It was if all of Sanctuary had decided to forget the old wisdom and stories of their ancestors in favor of a mockery of peace. 

“How many have vanished?” Imperius asked at length, glancing towards Heig.

“Fifteen that I know of, but I’ve heard it has been as high as twenty a night,” He said with a shrug, “But like Belle said, they could have moved on. I reckon though someone is rounding up folks like us, people that won’t be missed and harvesting organs.”

Glen scoffed, “Organ harvesting? Really? Come on old man, there would be a body or blood or witnesses or something. Everyone who has gone missing hasn’t even turned up a smear of blood.”

“Not with some of those fancy government types!” Heig argued, “I know you heard the news of that big explosion over in Caldeium. Telling ya, it is all a conspiracy!”

Belle shook her head with a sigh, “Not this shit again Heig.”

“I’m telling ya! All the governments of the world are having their strings pulled by some bigger organization and there some fat cat corporate bastard sitting at the head of it! I know it!”

“Spouting insanity again old man,” Glen grumbled.

“I believe you.”

Those at the fire turned toward Imperius as he stared into the flames, rubbing his hands together, “There is someone pulling all the strings in this world. Something far more evil than anyone can imagine,” the disguised archangel said grimly, “and we would be wise to not ignore someone for their theories.”

The group was silent for a long while and Imperius was aware of Heig’s gaze on him. The old mortal was smiling, the creases of his face relaxing at having someone to listen and he was quick to look to the rest of the group, giving a nod, “See? I ain’t the only person seeing something is going on!”

“You are both crazy,” Glen drawled, rising to his feet, “But I’m heading out. Suppose to rain tonight and this place is going to be flooding.”

Belle sighed, casting a look down to the river before slowly rising to her feet with a wince, “Sound advice there. Shame. When it’s dry, this place is cozy enough.”

“You all go, I’ll take my chances here,” Heig said with a shake of his head, “These old bones aren’t feeling aches so I’m doubting rain.”

Glen shook his head as he started to shuffle away, Belle trailing after him, “Good luck you nutter…”

Imperius barely glanced up as the two left, looking around to the other two that remained. One was a man that had remained silently staring into the fire solemnly. The other was a young woman who seemed to constantly be muttering to herself, chewing constantly on her nails. Heig shook his head before he looked over to the disguised archangel, “I appreciate you standing up for me and all, saying ya believe.”

“I did not say it to stand up. I said it because you are right,” Imperius responded, “There are forces at work in this world that cannot be fathomed.” 

Imperius raised a hand to rub over his chest, feeling the corruption burning still in his soul, so close to trying to impress upon his resonance, “I have been a part of the grand scheme of those forces all my life.”

Heig’s expression was sympathetic as he gave a small nod, reaching to pat Imperius’s shoulder, “We all have lived that. Just know we are all in this hell hole together eh?”

Imperius gave a small nod, although he knew the man did not understand. What he thought they shared was not the case, but the sentiment, the archangel supposed, was what mattered in the end. He gave another rub of his hands before turning away from the fire, “The night is a little darker tonight than one may suspect. I would say it is wise to stay here with your companions rather than walk forth tonight.”

Heig cocked an eyebrow, “Any reason why?”

“A feeling,” Imperius said, starting to move from the camp, “Just a feeling.” 

“Then why you going out if it dangerous?” Heig asked, “And you just got here, why not stay and rest a weary body a bit?”

Imperius paused, glancing over his shoulder at the few that remained about the fire, “To pass along the warning. We have to look out for each other after all.”

Heig chuckled, giving a nod, “Aye. That we do. That we do. Well, good luck out there stranger,” the man bowed his head, looking at Imperius carefully, “You got your heart in the right place.”

“I suppose so,” Imperius murmured.

He didn’t bother to glance back. Those at the fireside had been mortal from what he could sense and the stench of demons had left the fireside when the two called Belle and Glen had left. The group under the bridge could be at risk if one or both of the departed were some sort of scout, looking for easy pickings for a larger group. That, or some sort of elaborate bait.

Either way, Imperius’s own hunt for the evening was following on the heels of the two that left. Despite the little time between their departures, already the two had seemed to have disappeared. Imperius made his way up to the street once more, following the deer trail through the weeds.

The streets were empty and the fog had rolled in thicker than before now that the sun had departed. The only glow was from the buzzing street lamps scattered about and the occasional headlights of cars moving past. The air felt still, as if even the breeze from older had retreated in fear of the encroaching darkness. Imperius though felt no fear as he looked about, carefully reaching out his senses. He could feel the pinpricks of life from the animals that moved about. Their small heartbeats and the pulse of blood in their veins made his teeth itch with want although he pressed such urges down. 

He did not feel any mortal signs around him. His newly heightened senses due to the corruption would have easily picked up on the pulse of humans, especially given the quality of their souls resonated with a deep seated hunger for creatures born of light.

What Imperius did feel though was an oppressive weight of evil curling in and out of the alleyways and through the deliaptated buildings that surrounded him. The fog itself very well could be an aura coming off the demons for how thick it was and no doubt there were a few nests in the area. 

All the better as far as Imperius was concerned as he squared his shoulders to march forward, glancing back and forth. He was alone.

He would look like such easy bait for the taking for any pack of demons.

The silence of the night was broken by a sudden short scream that ripped through the air that caused Imperius to tense for a moment, before relaxing when he heard another one. A snort escaped the archangel of valor and he gave a small shake of his head.

It was an old trick of Hell, one that seemed to have continued to be effective against mortals even after thousands of years. Perhaps more because the forces of Hell had cultivated the idea of enjoying screams and torture of victims, which, was true, but only within their own lairs.

Any demon seriously on a hunt would never let a mortal scream even once and alert others to where they were feeding. 

There was a third wail and pleading along with it now that had Imperius making his way over to the alleyway where the racket was being made. No eyewitnesses around but himself. A secluded alleyway with no light. 

The place was so obviously a trap.

Imperius stepped brazeningly forward into the alleyway, pausing only when he saw the sources of the screams. It was the woman from before, Belle, pressed up against a wall, screaming as what had been Glen stalked forward. The man’s features had twisted into a vicious grin, exposing too many teeth and the pallor of his skin had become more a molted grey-green.

Belle’s wild eyes found Imperius and she whimpered, pulling tighter against the wall, “Please! Please help me! I don’t…I don’t know what is wrong with him!”

The disguised archangel made eye contact with the supposed frighten woman.

There was no fear in her eyes. They were dull, lifeless orbs in her head, much like the gaze of a dead fish.

She was in no danger. She was already long dead and her skin being worn as a sick disguise.

Imperius shook his head as he walked casually towards the two, shoving his hands back into his pockets, “This is the best ploy you could come up with?” he drawled, “No fool would believe she is really at any risk. Even the mortals would feel this is a bit cliché.”

Belle and Glen stiffened and both glanced to the other, sharing a look before letting out a snarl. What remained of Glen’s form was slouched off to the ground in ribbons of flesh while the demon wearing Belle’s body all but ripped it apart as they grew double her height, large horns pushing forward from her forehead. The shadows around Imperius writhed as underling demons drew in close, hissing and no doubt eager to put this upstart “mortal” in his place.

The demon that was formerly Glen stepped forward, rolling his broad, muscular shoulder and flexing his claws as he glowered at Imperius. 

“You must be beyond a fool then if you came into this alleyway even knowing it was to be a feeding frenzy!” the demon snarled, “And once we rip you apart, we’ll devour those by the river for desert!”

Imperius chuckled, lifting his head, eyes narrowed, “Oh, you will try but I plan on making this alleyway the grave of your collective, worthless hides.” 

A howl went up from the weaker demons before they jumped forward, claws at the read to rip and tear into what they thought was merely some cheeky mortal. They were knocked out of the air in bloody ribbons before they even drew close enough to attempt their attack as Imperius’s tail swung forward, driving spines through their unarmored body.

The rest of the demons tensed in alarm, the two who had been the bait, stepping back, eyes wide at the display. Imperius glared at them as his tail gave a flick, sending a shower of blood against the wall. 

“What are you? A demon?” One of them asked hesitantly, “If so, we do beg your pardon-“

Imperius let out a humorless laugh, as his disguise melted away. He was larger now, his armor covered in the fleshy corruption that was now growing jagged spines along his shoulders and back, just around the molten wings that extended from his back. His new teeth were bared in a hideous snarl as he took a step forward towards the demons, feeling the fear coming off of them now. He barely looked angelic anymore but not truly completely demonic either.

His appearance had the pack of demons starting to scurry away with sudden sounds of alarm but Imperius didn’t give them the chance to get far. He charged forward into the darkness after them. A few managed short screams before they were torn to shreds beneath claws and the spines of his tail. Without his spear or a weapon to speak of, he had to rely on the hell-given weapons he had grown to exact the bloody executions.

The fight was over within mere seconds and Imperius straightened himself up from where he had been crouched over the last demon’s body, glancing about at his handiwork. 

Just another hunt, another slaughter to try and get more powerful demons riled up to investigate who was culling so many so quickly.

The smell of blood and the sight of so many corpses had the corruption writhing inside of Imperius and he felt an itch behind his teeth. There was also a new, dull hunger in his gut and a desire to sink his teeth into the meat and consume every bit of it and relish each bloody bite. It took a conscious effort to keep Imperius from raising his hand up to his mouth to lap the blood off his fingers. Instead he let out a snarl and turned away from the sight, walking way as he began to resume his disguise. The hunger was constant, always nagging at the back of his mind. He could only imagine it was keener in a full demon.

It only made all the more obvious how much self-control Rakanoth had been employing all this time when such easy meals were close at hand. Also probably why the demon gorged himself so often upon mortal foods when he could. It was all something to satisfy that deep, instinctual and basic needs that drove demons to their unspeakable acts. Imperius raised a hand to rub at the corruption on his chest, unable to shake the maddening desire for blood as if the smell was stuck in his soul now.

He would no indulge that hunger. He refused to give the corruption another inch if he could help it, not before he found where Mephisto was hiding and ripped that skeletal bastard to shreds before turning every single one of his dark nephelem into red smears upon creation. 

Those violent thoughts soothed the desire for blood in his soul somewhat, at least making it more manageable. The slight cool breeze also helped to carry the smell of the carnage at his heels away and allow him to focus on getting his own thoughts back in order. 

By the time he came to the next street corner, brightly lit under the glow of a buzzing street lamp, Imperius had regained control of the bloodlust in him, taking a deep sigh before starting to reach out with his senses again for the next trail.

The night was still young and there were far more hunts to be had. 

Just as he was about to step off the curb to cross the street to start the task of finding another trail of demonic energy, Imperius felt something shift to the right of him, down a long abandoned stretch of roadway to the shell of a large factory rotting at its foundation. 

The feel of whatever was there was oppressive, like a sudden swat of moving, breathing malice mixed with a familiar hunger. It was also very apparent his last little bit of slaughter had drawn this entity close enough to track him and see to it the disguised archangel would now become the hunted. The archangel of valor could almost laugh at the sight, but he kept silent and maintained his casual pace, continuing to walk ahead. 

If this demon was as powerful as it felt, it was better to find some sort of open area to confront it on for a battle rather than brawl in the middle of the street. The fewer mortals were left out of these hunts, the better. He did not want mortal tall tales and superstitions to draw more curious spectators to search around to try and catch a glimpse of supposed angels and demons less it just turn into a much larger slaughter. 

Imperius just moved ahead, keeping his pace brisk and making sure whatever demon was following him remained close enough to be sensed and was maintaining its interest in taking him down. He only began to slow his pace as he entered into an abandoned rail yard, ducking under the twisted remains of a fence. Each step he made through the twisted maze of decaying freight carts was followed by the click-clack of claws against metal but he didn’t bother to turn around until he cleared the maze of decay into an open, weed-choked gravel pit. There he stopped, finally turning around and crossing his arms over his chest.

“You are a bold one. Most demons don’t want me to feel them,” Imperius drawled.

A buzzing laugh echoed in the night as the oppressive energy began to finally take form as a hideous hellbeast crawled out from beneath one of the freight carts, twisting its body around to ascend the side in order to look down upon Imperius, 

“Bold of you to assume I was trying to sneak up on you, strange one,” The demon sneered, “I wanted you to know that your time was limited and you will no longer be thinning the numbers of my lands.” 

Imperius eyed the beast, finding it relatively unimpressive. It was a rather plump demon, or at least partially. Its upper torso seemed bloated, but the legs were long, skinny and oddly bent things as if someone with no ideas of how legs were supposed to work designed this demon. Six pair of arms extended around it and the head seemed perched directly on the torso with no sign of a neck. Huge eyes, like those of a fly stared down at him, each facet of the mosaic containing a bulging green postulant of an eye that dripped a crusty yellow liquid.

The archangel of valor let out a snort, straightening his shoulders, unafraid of the disgusting creature, “I won’t be stopped from purging your wretched kind from here. I will take both your territory and your life, demon.” 

“Ah, bold of you to say, wretched one!” the demon hissed, “None intrude on the holdings of the lord of spite and live to brag about victories!”

“I am not in the mood to share words, demon,” Imperius drawled, “And I am not one of your kin.”

The twisted demon reared back as Imperius let his disguise slip. The corrupted archangel made a show of spreading out his wings wide, showing off the bare hints of tendrils that were unique to the angels of Heaven. His tail lashed out impatiently behind him, still caked in the blood from before. 

The self-proclaimed lord of spite let out a warbled hiss, the tiny fly like wings along its back twitching, “Not a demon? But you can’t possibly be an angel!”

Imperius couldn’t hold back the growl now, wings flaring wider, “Let me correct you then, demon.” He said, his tone low and vicious, “I’ll be glad to show you just what fury remains in Heaven!”

“Go!” 

The shouted word startled Imperius and he took a step back in alarm as the entire yard was soon lit up with lights and mortals began to rise up from the fields around him. The black uniforms were familiar of the kill squads that had hunted him before which meant they were connected to the dark nephelem under Mephisto’s command. The lord of spite was giggling loudly, clearly pleased with how well the trap had worked. No doubt whatever nephelem had the gift of foresight had helped to know the location Imperius would go to before he set foot there.

It matter little to Imperius. If anything, it brought excitement to his soul as he had finally achieved his suicidal goal of getting Mephisto’s attention on him.

Now it was merely a matter of keeping one alive to interrogate as to where the wretched lord of hatred was hiding. 

The archangel of valor took a step towards the demon only to quickly leap back as a sudden bolt of holy energy erupted from the sky above to crash down in front of him. Then he was moving back more as the holy bolts continued to crash along as an armored figure stepped into the yard, a shield on one arm, a glowing mace in the other. Through the visor on his helmet, Imperius could see a pair of stormy eyes filled with disgust as he took in the archangel.

Imperius kept ahead of the attacks, drawing closer to the man. He lowered his shoulder and rammed into the mortal who barely brought his shield up in time to repel the corrupted archangel backwards. The archangel of valor was quick to duck and throw himself away out of range of the mace as it swiped at him, trailing crackling energy that was akin to the power the crusaders of the past age wielded. 

The two combatants began to circle one another, although Imperius was well aware of the true mortals closing in around with guns at the read, forming a perimeter around the fight. 

“The archangel Imperius.” The enemy crusader sneered, “So this is what you make of yourself now? Committing slaughter in the night and riling up Hell?”

“Slaughter those that would slaughter innocence,” Imperius drawled, “how droll you dare to lecture me when you use your holy might in the service of Hell!”

The man frowned, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward, weapon already starting to glow once more with energy, “The death of a few to appease the lord of Hell and keep the majority safe is the natural balance of this age, archangel. A pity you haven’t learned to adapt. A pity you don’t understand the purpose of sacrifice in the name of the light.”

The dark nephelem came at him quickly, energy crackling along the maul he wielded. Imperius moved to the side, his tail lashing out as he snarled, feeling the familiar ach for Solarion once more. It felt almost demeaning to have to fight literally tooth and claw now like some sort of animal. He suppose he was blessed enough to have the physical stature to do so and the corruption had been generous in the spines of his tail and the length of his new claws. 

Each time Imperius’s opponent tried to edge closer, the dangerous tail would come swiping about, faster and more agile now, and drive the man back a few steps. The blue eyes of the cruader-esque nephelem narrowed and hatred burned within them as he used his shield to bat away the spines of Imperius’s tail. So focused he was on the accursed limp, he didn’t see the sudden wing that had lashed out forward, bringing fiery tendrils to slash against his armor.The fire of it burned a black trail over the enchanted armor and the heat of it was enough to cause the armor to even crack in places, driving the dark nephelem further back, a snarl on his lips. 

“A far more vicious combat than your kin,” the man growled, “But I have my orders and I have not yet failed Lord Pennabriar yet!”

“And I’ll make sure you won’t live long enough to report your failures to him!” Imperius roared back, ducking around a bolt of holy energy, teleporting forward into the range of the man. His eyes widened as his shield came up, expecting Imperius’s bulk to collide with it. Instead the archangel of valor stumbled forward as one of his legs was caught by a skeletal hand suddenly bursting from the ground.

Imperius cursed, struggling and lashing about as more hands rose from the earth, followed by the grinning maws of skeletons as they answered the call of whatever spellcaster was ordering them to rise. The unholy dead held him tight, pinning him for now, although the bones were already blackening in places as Imperius’s now infernal heat rose in temperature to match his anger. 

The dark crusader lowered his shield, scowling at the sight before his gaze flicked upwards to someone behind where Imperius struggled to get free. 

“I was handling this, Mineva…” He growled, energy sparking along his weapon, “There was no need to interfere.”

“Of course you were Denzel,” a feminine voice responded, filled with amusement, “I am only offering support in your battle to ensure this one doesn’t get away.”

Imperius tried to look over his shoulder, catching only the sight of a black glad woman, her hood pulled up high, although the barest hint of pale skin and hair could be seen, framing a smile on black lips. Denzel eyed her, teeth bared in disdain before he turned back towards Imperius, slipping his weapon onto a loop on his belt. 

“Your support was unneeded,” He said coldly before falling into a chant. 

“Maybe, but I always look to help out my fellow nephelem against the balance destroying fiends of Heaven,” She said sweetly with a bow of her head, “As any priestess of Rathma would.”

 

Denzel did not respond to her, muttering a few words under his breath as he extended his free hand towards Imperius. Ropes made of light zig-zagged out, wrapping about Imperius and tightening before manifesting into thick chains that exuded an icy aura. The archangel let out a snarl as he fell to the ground, struggling mightily once more, but, the chains held tight, although even they were starting to warp under the powerful aura coming off of Imperius as his temper flared and his temperature rose. The undead continued to hold onto him, a few more rising up to replace those that were nothing more than brittle charcoal, all in an effort to keep him pinned to the ground. 

Mineva pursed her lips, eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to inspect him, “Stronger than most angels. Is it a result of the corruption?”

“Archangels are strong,” Denzel responded as the first troops arrived, cocking hoses connected to large canisters on the archangel, “Do not forget how many were lost when we captured Malthael. It took all of Pennabriar’s might just to bring him low enough for us to be able to bind him.”

The dark crusader turned to the troops, giving a nod, “Freeze him and get a truck over here quickly. He will not stay contained for long.”

The troops did not hesitate, order already ringing out as those with the hoses took aim and started to unleash a sudden cloud of liquid nitrogen onto the angel. Imperius hissed, trying to struggle only to feel his limbs seizing up under the incredible cold. Such thing wasn’t lethal, but it was certainly making it easier for them to round him up for whatever purpose they had in mind. The sudden, intense cold caused his form to become more sluggish and go immovable. Only the heat of his core kept it from gaining ground against his very soul. It was enough to contain him for now, but their supply was no doubt limited and once it let up even a moment, he would be free again.

Mineva pursed her lips, looking down at Imperius, “Lord Mephisto, at least, will be pleased we captured an archangel for him.” 

“It isn’t the one he wants though,” Denzel said, grimacing slightly, “But yes, it will certainly appease him slightly despite the fact we lost Malthael. He has been very irate, especially given he gave us permission to use him in experiments in order to try and break him down.”

“Can’t account for everything in any plan I suppose,” Mineva said with a shrug, “We got a prize though and that will sate his anger until we get the bigger catch in custody.” 

Imperius felt the fury in his soul grow as he was rolled unceremoniously onto some sort of cart and quickly hauled off to a truck that was backing into the yard. He could feel the fear in the men handling him as they continued to keep his body cold enough to prevent movement. Even so, he was fighting, managing small movements, trying to keep the two dark nephelem in sight for as long as he could. Denzel only watched with barely contained disdain and Mineva raised a hand in a mocking farewell, a grin on her lips, her pale grey eyes slitted in sadistic glee. It was only when the doors to the truck shut tight behind him and the intense cold of the trucks refrigeration unit kicked in did he lose sight of the two nephelem fiends. 

Then, there was only blackness and ice surrounding Imperius. His thoughts raced, wondering where they were even taking him and for what purpose. His mind unhelpfully brought up the dissection of other angels and he felt anger boil in his soul, causing a hiss of steam from some of the ice melting, although the chill was quick to replace what was lost.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed before the truck rumbled to a stop and the doors slammed open and more troops piled in. Imperius managed to move an arm some only for one of the guards to quickly spray over it, looking wildly to his companions, “He’s still moving!”

“Just get him on the cart quickly and to detainment now!” 

The archangel of valor let out a choked snarl as he was dragged onto the cart again, one of his wings twitching, flaring with heat to try and get the ice off them as he was moved forward. Around him were hundreds of other trucks and vehicles, all situated in what seemed like a large hangar bay. There were hundreds of mortals moving around, piling into trucks to head out and still more coming in, hauling out other catches to move across the floor. 

It was clearly a huge facility, but Imperius did not get a further look of it before he was moved through a doorway and out of the large hangar. 

The sterile white walls blurred as they rushed him past and Imperius found himself unable to concentrate on anything as light and sound blurred around him quickly. He caught glimpses of labs and wide-eyed mortal scientists and the occasional demon time to time, leering at him. Imperius began to move more, managing to roll on his side as they slammed through a pair of doors into a new room that was a strange mix of familiar mortal technology and even more familiar demonic architecture.

Everything in the room radiated the energy of Hell and the very geometrical and symmetrical build of the room reminded Imperius of the large siege engines and vicious artifacts Hell had brought against Heaven in ages past. The archangel by then was struggling to try and get to his feet, even as the troops pulled at the chains on him to drag him forward to the center of the hell device. Each step was a fight, but he still hadn’t managed to shake the lingering effects of the ice and it wasn’t long until one wrist, then the other was locked into the device, forcing him to stand up only to have both angels locked in. It seemed the device was built for holding angels specifically though as two clamps came down to latch onto them to keep him steady, however, that also meant they hadn’t built it with his tail in mind.

More heat poured off Imperius and the limp lashed about, hitting into one of the guards and causing him to let out a scream as he fell back, trailing blood. The other guards moved back, looking about like a herd of lost sheep as what to do as the dangerous tail flailed about, ramming against the macine and threatening to damage it completely. 

One of them stepped forward to attempt to freeze the limp only to fall back to avoid the lash of the thing. The scientists above behind consoles were furiously typing away and rushing about, one of them raising his voice to the guards below. 

“Restrain the blasted tail already! This machine is delicate and any damage will-“

“You come down here and try yourself!” One of the guars snapped, although he edged forward, “This tail is not easy to contain! We were not told what to do in case of-“

“Must I do everything myself?”

The room went silent as the familiar irritated voice echoed from the doorway, dripping with pure malice and absolute disdain. The corruption in Imperius’s soul seized up, trembling in a strange delight at feeling a familiar tug upon it. Imperius raised his head as he watched Mephisto enter the room, the skeletal visage pulled into the mockery of a grin, his eyes blazing with hatred and his spine-like tail lashing about as he drew closer to the bound and corrupted archangel.

The archangel of valor raised his voice to spit curses at Mephisto as the lord of hatred reached him, but that turned quickly into a sudden roar of pain. In the blink of an eye, the lord of hatred had grasped onto his tail, claws curling between the spines and gave a powerful yank backwards, tearing the tail away completely. A thick glowing blood mixed with a molten red poured from the twitching stump as Mephisto tossed the bloody hunk away and turned towards the guards. 

“Caterize the wound and continue, I do not want to delay this,” he snarled, moving back towards where the scientists huddled, “I will not give Heaven time to mount some ill-fated rescue, not this time.” 

Imperius shuddered, teeth clenched through the pain. He felt the troops apply something burning against the stump, but this time he did not cry out, steeling his will against the surge of agony.

“Mephisto, so you show yourself again,” the corrupted archangel managed to choke out, voice dripping with malice.

“Imperius,” the lord of hatred drawled, giving a click of his teeth as he floated more into Imperius’s view, “Oh how the mighty have fallen yes? To think the last we met, my little seed of corruption was not even bloomed yet.”

The lord of hatred chuckled, folding his hands together, the long twisting spine-like tail twitching behind him, “Now though, now it is so close to consuming you entirely and once you fall, I’ll make sure you serve me and aid me in tracking down that little pocket of resistance you managed to build up.”

“Even if I fall, I will not serve you, Mephisto,” Imperius snarled, shuddering, “And I will not let it claim what is left of me.”

“So we shall see,” Mephisto responded, gesturing to the room about them, “This machine I’ve created will say differently.”

Imperius lifted his head to regard the demon, struggling some against the restraint, only for them to hold tight, “I will not rest until I’ve torn you apart, Mephisto, for all that you have done heaven and what you have done to Auriel!”

Mephisto let out a loud, shrieking laugh as if he had heard the most amusing news of his life. The demon lord shook his head before he leaned in close to Imperius, “I cannot be held accountable for what I did to her, you do not know how much pleasure I gained from breaking down the one angel in Heaven I have hated the most for so many years. How her and her shining hope, her stubborn optimism, made my very soul curl in disgust.” The demon lord let out a sigh, head tipped back as if reminded of some incredible ecstasy, “Oh, breaking her, ripping her world apart was better than any battle I’ve taken part in.” 

Imperius tensed, his wings trembling, “What did you do to her?”

“I would worry less about her. She’s alive. Broken, beaten, and forever bound to a useless, withered body kept alive by the miracles of mortal science, but alive,” Mephisto drawled, “You though, oh your agony is just beginning.”

Imperius felt his soul both clench and lift slightly. Auriel was alive and there was a chance to find her.

But from how Mephisto spoke of it, alive was the only thing that might be able to be said about her and it made Imperius’s fury spike all the more as he glared at the demon, baring his teeth in a displeased snarl.

 

“I am not afraid of your agony,” Imperius sneered, “And I will make you pay for what you have done.”

“I don’t expect you to be.” Mephisto responded with a dismissive flick of his tail, “I just expect you to fall so I may use you to crush what angels are left and to retake Malthael.”

Imperius hissed, shoulders tensing as he regarded the lord of hatred, “I will not let you take him again and subject him to whatever sick experiment you were conducting!”

Mephisto chuckled darkly, moving to adjust some of the components of the machine that was now starting to hum as it slowly began to activate under the energy of the demon lord, “That was merely a means of torment, to soften his resolve. I had no intention of letting him remain there.” Mephisto turned his head to fix Imperius with a grin as he started to float back towards the scientists again, “ I wanted him worn down enough that I could show him everything and he would finally see things my way.”

There was something in Mephisto’s voice that was strange. The lord of hatred, even when he could be described as being amiable, even outright flirting with Auriel, never spoke with such a level of reverence. There was not the mark of hatred or a lecherous tone that always colored his words. Imperius felt a sick feeling rise into his core as the question burning in his mind slipped out. 

“Show him everything?”

“Everything I’ve done to fulfil the promise I made to him so long ago,” The lord of hatred said with a grin, “I promised him, that there would be nothing left but me when all was said and done. There would be no one else to hold his attention. No one else that he can confide in.”

The unease in Imperius’s soul seemed to grow as he listened to the demon speak, the way in which he spoke sounded more like some young fledgling speaking of a crush. Mephisto did not acknowledge Imperius as he settled back behind the scientists, reaching one claw over them to tap at the council with the tips of his claws, “I cannot tell you how pleased I was to here you return. I was hoping to have been able to kill you in front of him…but having you fall and force him to kill his dearest childhood friend will be so much more agonizing for him!” 

The lord of hatred tilted his head, grinning lazily, “Just like how I forced his hand to kill his own daughter.”

Imperius snarled, tugging at the bonds, “And what of Auriel?! Is this obssssive hatred for Malthael why you were attracted to her!?”

“Obsessive hatred?” The lord of hatred let out a laugh, shaking his head, “I never said I hated Malthael. That, I’ll leave to something those of you in Heaven got into your heads. Just like you actually believed the lord of hatred found hope to be a virtue worth noting.”

The demon laughed again, shaking his head and raising one hand to cover his face, “You all thought…you truly thought that I, the lord of hatred, a demon of Hell, found her attractive? You really are all fools!” 

Mephisto leered, fixing Imperius with a disdainful look, “I hated her. I hated her above all else. She represented everything I found distasteful in angels and the only reason she was worth seducing at all was Malthael liked her…and if Malthael is going to choose such soft, weak, hideous ideals over the power we could have had, the peace we could have forged, then I’m afraid she had to be broken.”

Imperius felt the corruption in his writhe as his anger and hatred for the demon rose up. The reason for his actions against Auriel were not some larger scheme, not at the heart of it. It was an entirely petty reason, a petty hatred born out of an obsession.

What surprised Imperius more was there was no indication of Mephisto seeing anything in Malthael, but then, there had been private meetings between the former archangel of wisdom and the lord of hatred concerning issues of the conflict. The rulers of Heaven and Hell had often held their private meetings, who knew what could have truly been said behind closed doors. 

It was just another secret it seemed Malthael had been keeping from everyone of a twisted past that was growing more complicated but still holding its claws into the present. 

Imperius couldn’t hold back the snarl that escaped him, struggling once more in the bindings, “You are twisted, Mephisto,” he spat, “And I swear, by the arch itself, I will strangle you with your own tail and make you choke on your own blood before this age is through!”

Mephisto sneered, his hand hovering over the console as the scientists moved about, monitoring their stations and starting to put on protective eyewear against what was about to happen, “Oh I’m positively quaking Imperius,” he drawled, “Really, I do not think you understand that this is your final stand. After today, you’ll be one of my lords.” 

The archangel strained at the restraints, a growl in his throat as he glared at the demon lord, “Do your worse demon, I’ve denied you your victory this far, I will not fall so easily!” 

Mephisto chuckled, eyes narrowing, “We shall see.”

The demon lord reach down to the console before him before pressing up a switch. The machine let out a louder hum, energy crackling along the runes before sudden bursts of red lightning seemed to emerge and strike against Imperius. The agony was immediate. Concentrated demonic energy lashed against his form, rippling over the corruption and digging deeper against his soul beneath. What was left of his tortured resonance wailed as the energy tore through it and the corruption swelled. He could feel it trying to grow and finally consume ever last bit of who he was and leave him nothing more than a mindless demon of Hell.

The whole world seemed to start to fade at the edges like it was being burned away and Imperius felt his senses start to scatter. It was a feeling of being torn apart and replaced with something unholy. The corruption was finally start to overwhelm him with the help of the machine that seemed was designed to corrupt angels quicker.

Yet through the pain and the scattering of thoughts, something else bloomed. It was a small surge of power, a steadfast feeling that swelled in his soul and pushed back against the corruption with a keening howl of its own. Imperius was barely aware of it over the sound of his own scream. The corruption could not seem to crush this final kernel of his soul as if it was too well aware of the touch of Hell and was not about to let it gain ground. 

The machine was abruptly turned off, granting Imperius a blissful reprieve, although his entire form twitched and slumped forward. His wings were nothing but smoke now, billowing out and about the ground creating a thick layer over the floor. Mephisto cocked his head, looking somewhat surprised to see Imperius panting and remaining lucid, “Impressive. With how corrupted you are, I would have thought a mere jolt would be all that it would take.”

“I’m…I’m not giving in…..” Imperius managed, feeling the remaining bit of his core tremble and remain burning like a single ember keeping a swollen tide of shadows back, “I will not fall, not to…you!”

Mephisto moved in closer, eyes narrowed and Imperius flinched, feeling the corruption move inside him in response to the lord of hatred’s will, ghosting tendrils over what remained within Imperius, “Well, well, well, what have we here?”

Imperius lifted his head, trying to fix his blurring vision on the lord of hatred, only registering the slight hiss of displeasure escape from between Mephisto’s clenched teeth.

“Of course you always have to make things difficult,” the skeletal demon sneered, “Hidden a little bit of an ascended’s song in your wretched soul have you? Or perhaps you were unaware of the kernel of such a thing mixed in with whatever chucnks of other angels they cobbled together to make your pathetic hide.”

A low growl escaped the archangel of valor, his own teeth baring even as blood trickled out from around the teeth, barely registering what Mephisto meant, “And why would that matter to you?”

“Because ascended can’t fall twice, so there is no means by which to corrupt your soul entirely,” Mephisto snarled, “But that does not mean the wretched piece of Ascended can’t be pulled right out of your soul!” 

The lord of hatred gave a wave of his hand, “Give him another round on my signal. This extraction will not take long.”

Imperius raised his head as Mephisto jammed his claws forward, digging them into his chest and eliciting a gagging cry. The machine flared up around them, helping to bolster Mephisto’s power as he pushed dark soul against Imperius’s tortured resonance. The kernel of resistance flared as Mephisto wrapped his eesemse around what was left of Imperius and began to pull. The pain was far greater than anything Imperius had experience, even more agonizing than when Diablo had impaled him.It felt as if every fiber of his being, every drop of resonance he had left was being torn at the edges, drawn thin and pulled out. It was hard to think, hard to form a thought to try and rally defense against the corruption as it continued to press its tendrils into him. Memory was lost in pain. Faces and names were starting to waver before fading under the scream he couldn’t hold back. 

Darkness was closing in, desperate now to snuff the glow of light he was trying to guard against the gale, its light starting to flicker more and more as Mephisto slow drew it forward to pull it out. So close, so-

The entire room was plunged into darkness and the pain abruptly vanished as Mephisto drew back in alarm. For a moment, Imperius thought he had fallen, lost in the sudden inky blackness around him until low, pale yellow lights flickered on, partially illuminating the room. The archangel’s soul throbbed, feeling more strung out, but some coherent thought returned and he couldn’t help but thank whatever Ascended had contributed to the lightsong that made him. That kernel of redeemed hellspawn was the only thing saving his life. 

Groggily, Imperius lifted his head, noting vaguely the mortals were hurrying around in what appeared to be panic, all talking at once while Mephisto was snarling loudly, tail lashing.

“What is going on?” the demon snarled, “Why have you stopped!?”

“Power has been cut my lord. We are looking into it right-“

Then there was a sudden shower of sparks, and a bellow of black smoke that arose within the room and more cries of alarm filled the air. Imperius’s head lolled to the side, trying to focus on what was going on, the world still spinning and everything appearing washed out into a blur of muted colors.

What he could focus on was the sudden, bright purple glow, like a bloom of glowing lightning that erupted within the room, tendrils of light lashing out and sending mortals falling back, screaming in sudden alarm. Mephisto whirled about, the hatred pouring off him practically crackling in the air and the shrieks of the damned souls he kept close to him started to rise in volume as the glowing tendrils gathered together and vaulted to the ceiling and over the prime evil’s head. 

“You glowing gnat!” Mephisto roared, whirling about as the angelic figure landed on the platform beside Imperius, “When I get my hands on you-“

The figure said nothing, only tossing up a strange device that began to billow out another cloud of smoke, filling the air with a noxious, clawing gas that sent the demon into a fit of wheezing coughs as he drew back. Imperius looked to the angel, almost bewildered to see any of his kin there, his mind trying to put together the pieces even as his savior quickly came over, drawing a short blade attached to a chain and slashing through the bindings. Imperius nearly dropped to his knees if the angel hadn’t quickly caught him, easily supporting his weight despite his deceptively slender frame.

“What-“

“No time to talk.” The figure said quickly, moving to wrap an arm about Imperius, “Focus and jump us to the doorway. I’ll be able to jam it and lock Mephisto in here just long enough to give us a shot to escape. The nerve gas will keep him down and out for only so long though.”

The archangel of valor’s wings twitched, his jaw clicking together but he did his best to focus, looking about the smoke choked room and ignoring the roar of Mephisto. Metal screeched as the demon dug claws into the machine as he felt around to find them. Blood was pouring from his face as the gas had all but melted the demon’s eyes. A temporary wound and not the worse Mephisto had endured, but it ultimately crippled the demon for the short-term. Imperius pushed those distractions away as well as the satisfaction at hearing the demon howl to focus ahead.

Above the din, there was a glow of lights behind the room. Imperius threw himself forward, vanishing in a flash of light and appearing into the hallway, the other angel still holding onto him. 

Imperius overbalanced as his savior stepped back to the door and managed to just barely catch himself against the wall, turning to look twards the other angel. His savior had taken out some strange device and was ramming it into a panel beside the entryway which caused a large metal door to crash down. 

“There, that should buy us more time.” The tall angel said, before moving back to Imperius’s side and putting an arm about his shoulder and began to tug him down the hallway quickly, half dragging the archangel of valor at times, “We got little time to recover. The nephelem move fast and my diversions and sabotages will only get us so far.” The angel said quickly, the voice familiar, although Imperius was having trouble placing it within the fog in his mind, “The sooner you can at least walk, the better. Just follow me, do as I say, and ask few questions.”

“Who are you?” Imperius managed as they drew to the end of the hallway, taking a sharp right. The sudden movement had the archangel of valor grunting, although it jostled him to take somewhat to flight, hovering a few inches off the ground. 

The figure spared a glance and there was a sudden waver of surprise before it settled, “You don’t recognize me?” 

Before Imperius could respond, there was the shout of guards ahead. The archangel of valor tensed before letting out a curse as he stumbled again as his savior surged forward. The angel’s sent his blade flying, the curved edge causing it to curve about the guards before he gave a short pull of the chain, bringing the blade cutting through the back of the men, severing their heads from their shoulders in a shower of blood. Hadriel caught the weapon, looking back to Imperius. 

The weapon was familiar, as was the form of fluid fighting this angel took. Imperius struggled to stay on his feet, staggering over to the other angel, who was quick to wrap an arm again about Imperius’s shoulder, “Come, more will be on their way.”

“You are….are familiar but…I can’t…” Imperius slurred, shaking his head to try and clear up the fog, “What is your name?”

His savior spared a glance before looking ahead, pulling him around another turn, “Hadriel,” they finally said, “archangel of secrets.” 

“Hadriel?” Imperius felt a shock in his system as his foggy mind began to bring the world into more focus, “Is it really-we have been looking for you!”

“I’m aware of that,” Hadriel murmured, “Pardon me again.” 

Hadriel surged forward once more as a group of guards slid into the passageway, weapons lifted up. The archangel of secrets was a blur as he moved, his blade swinging about as he got in close. The mortals troops barely managed a gurgle as daggers were slipped in between the weak points in armor and jabbed into lungs and throats. One guard managed to back up, only to have Hadriel leap forward, catching the man in savage punch before gripping onto his head and snapping his neck.

As the last guard fell, Hadriel returned to Imperius’s side, urging him along, “This way.”

Imperius only managed a nod, staggering after the other angel as he got his feet under him once more, slowly regaining more of his basic motor functions. He took the time to look Hadriel over.

The angel had not changed since he had reached adulthood. He still had the above normal height, standing only a few inches taller than Imperius himself, although his form had remained slender, more akin to a gymnast. The coloration of his armor favored a darker, more silver pallet, although not quiet dark enough to be the same as a wisdom angel. The glow of his smoke-like wings was purple, a darker shade than that of his sires. The biggest difference was the lack of tabard worn in a fashion similar to Tyrael. In fact, much of his appearance seemed to have pulled away from looking like his caregiver, favoring a sleeker armor design with little cloth accents. 

Imperius grunted, managing to catch up to the other angel, although he still staggered some, “Why didn’t you return to Heaven if you knew we were seeking you out?” 

“I couldn’t leave my post. Not yet. I was so close to getting the location needed,” Hadriel responded, pulling them both into a room, turning to close and lock the door behind them, “There was no rush to return either. My sources indicated that Heaven was having a more internal shakedown going on which isn’t something that concerns my duties.”

Imperius winced as he leaned against the wall, watching Hadriel push a desk in front of the door to barricade it, “And now?”

Hadriel gave a shake of his head, moving to pull Imperius forward towards the back of the room where a large grated vent had been put into the wall, “I have my duties to Heaven. One of them being not letting Mephisto claim Heaven’s king.” He said, before turning to climb up to the vent, “Quickly now though, in here. We are working with a limited amount of time.” 

Imperius wavered for a moment before moving forward, climbing in after Hadriel, his form adjusting to fit the far more cramped space. The filth had him cringing but he held his tongue. Such concerns were not the most forefront at his mind.

“Why did you save me?” he finally blurted out, “Surely you can see that I’m corrupted-“

“But you have not fallen, not yet,” Hadriel interrupted matter-of-factly, “Therefore, there is fight left to have.” 

“But-“

“And I believe Mephisto mentioned you have a kernel of ascended in you, which means you can’t fall completely to corruption. Perhaps go mad from it, but not lose yourself completely. Just like Izual,” Hadriel glanced over his shoulder briefly at Imperius as they moved ahead, “I never knew you had an ascended parent.”

Imperius tensed, wings pulling close to his back as Hadriel came to a pause, carefully pushing out another vent and dropping down, “I do not have Ascended in my lineage. At least, I do not think so?”

It was really hard to say yes or no given, as far as he was told, he was born in a large lightsong. There could have been Kyrimim present to add their song, some of them possibly being Ascended, but he was not sure. The only angel that came to mind was Bulnthael, the powerful archangel of Absolution. He had often been around the camp and Imperius had sparred many a time with the boisterous, demonic looking angel. Tyranius in particular had had a soft spot for him as apparently one of her dearest friends had been his mate before they had fallen in battle. 

It was probably his song that was possibly giving the kernel of hardened resonance that still trembled stubbornly inside him although it was torn now from Mephisto’s savage attempt at pulling it out. 

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is you are still yourself. You can still fight.” Hadriel quipped, coming to a sudden halt, his wings sipping under the grates of the vent in front of him and pushing it out. The tendrils caught the metal before it hit the floor, setting it down silently, “And once we escape, we can talk about this in more detail.”

Hadriel dropped down, landing gently on his feet as his wings spread out, twitching and flicking as if detecting the very air before he started to briskly move to the left of where they dropped down, “This way.” 

Imperius gave a nod, following after Hadriel, “How do you know-“

“I’ve been in this facility for the past fifteen years,” Hadriel said quickly, “Took out one of the employees and assumed their role, taking up their life, after a period of long study.”

Imperius’s wings flared a tad, “Fifteen years? And they didn’t catch you?”

Hadriel chuckled, “I know a thing or two about disguises and hiding my resonance. I know how to make myself invisible.” 

“But in that time-“

“A lot happened and it is a story to tell when we get out of here.” Hadriel interrupted, coming up to the end of the hall, peering about. “The elevator is to the left. We can take the elevator shaft down to the hanger. From there, I’ll have another diversion ready to go off. I’ve had the door rigged to explode for a long time now. Just in case.” 

Imperius could only give the other angel and incredulous look, “They did not notice any of this?”

“I’ve had millennium to perfect my craft and I always keep up to date on the latest technologies when it comes to sabotage.” Hadriel responded, moving to the elevator door and prying it open easily, “But please, less talk, more moving my lord.”

 

The archangel of secrets didn’t wait for Imperius to respond, already throwing himself forward to dive into the darkened elevator shaft. A grumble escaped Imperius, but he did not hesitate to follow after the other angle, starting to feel like his soul was settling more, even if the corruption felt like it was eating away at him from the inside out. The dull throb of pain was nearly constant now, filling him with a profound ache now. Hadriel came to a stop before another pair of doors, balancing on the edge just enough to get his fingers in the seam of the metal doors.

“Here we are...” he murmured, shifting his stance some, “Just past these doors.”

Imperius came to a halt, half clutching onto the metal cables at the center, glancing about, “We haven’t had much resistance so far.”

“I had diversions set up and a few things to keep the nephelem running circles around themselves,” Hadriel said idly, “They are powerful, but they are still mortal and mortals are not infallible. They inherited not only the strength of angels and demons but the weaknesses as well.”

“You seem very sure of yourself,” Imperius drawled as Hadriel slowly started to pry the door open.

Hadriel grunted, slowly working the door open, “Of course I am. I’ve had this plan ready to go in case of any situation that comes to-“

“And what do we have here?”

Imperius felt his entire resonance flare up in alarm, the tips of his wings banging against the wall of the shaft as they flared in surprise. Hadriel stood there, utterly surprised and slowly raising his hands up as a gun was shoved into his face meaningfully. Before them, the familiar, grinning visage of Lihua stood, hands on her hips and looking as manic as she did before, a group of armed guards around her with weapons trained on the two angels.

The archangel of valor was utterly dumbstruck of how the nephelem woman was even alive given the last he saw of her she was nothing but a melted sack of meat upon the ground

“You….you are supposed to be dead!” Imperius sputtered, “I saw you die!” 

“You did,” she responded, her eyes narrowing, “And I hope that gives you an idea of just what you might be dealing with here.”

Imperius paused, looking harder at the woman.

Something in her eyes was different. There was something more cunning behind the visage of madness and confidence. 

Lihua jerked her head to the soldiers, “Bind them.” 

Hadriel tensed, moving to take a step back only to stumble when Imperius landed behind him, all but pushing him forward. The taller angel turned towards the corrupted archangel, wings spreading in irritation, “What are you-“

“We will go quietly.” 

Hadriel was rendered speechless as Imperius more or less surrendered, holding his hands out to be bound by the troops, “What in the name of the arch-“

“Trust me,” Imperius snapped, echoing Hadriel’s earlier tone, “Just follow my lead.” 

There was something that did not appear quite right.

Lihua was dead. He had seen her burn away to nothing and the flesh has not moved once. The Lihua that stood before him was alive and well and her eyes were not the same as before. The same color, same appearance, but there was something older, far more calculative behind them. 

Hadriel had spoken how he had replaced one of the staff. Who is to say other forces would not do the same when the opportunity was there?

The archangel of secrets shook his head, shoulders still tense as he held out his hands to be bound as well, “I do hope you know what you are doing. I had a plan-“

“A plan you say?” Lihua drawled, giving a cock of her finger causing her troops to start pulling the two angels along, “I hope it doesn’t involve the bomb we found attached to the door, does it?”

Hadriel stiffened, going silent and Imperius could feel his resonance fuming. The quiet anger reminded him far too much of Malthael, especially when someone had seemed to out maneuver him completely. Lihua chuckled softly, clasping her hands behind her back as she led the way into the hangar. 

“It truly is my lucky day to have run into you before the nephelem did,” she said in that irritating, overly confident way that made Imperius want to strangle her, “I’ll be sure to deliver you to where you need to go and into the hands of those that want to meet with you.”

The entire hangar was a zoo, filled with troops running about. A few paused as Lihua entered with the angels in tow, and drew closer, only for her to give a wave of her hand, “Stand down. These two are now in my custody and I have orders from Mephisto himself to transport them to the main facility.” She hissed.

One of the troops, an officer by the cut of his uniform gave a shake of his head, “Commander’s orders. No one is leaving-“

“My orders come from above that you pitiful meat sack!” She snarled, grabbing the officer by the front of his uniform, “This facility has been compromised and our lord is not eager to lose his prizes.” She said with a sneer, “If you get in my way, well…”

She raised a hand, power crackling about it and the man quickly moved out of the way, “I’ll uh, radio the tower then, lady Lihua,” he murmured.

“See to it you do,” She said lightly, giving a cock of her head. 

Most of the guards with her moved forward, but one moved up beside the commander, following on his heels. Imperius glanced over, tensing as the guard that had been with Lihua pulling the commander behind a vehicle with unnatural strength. A few moments later, only the commander stepped out, talking into the com. Lihua made no comment of this as she made her way to one of the larger trucks, stepping aside to herd to the two angels in. Her eyes were narrowed and posture tense as she looked about the hangar before following the last of the troops up into the truck after the angels.

A groan filled the air as the hangar gates opened and the officer from before moved to leap up into the back, a smirk on his lips as he pulled the doors shut. The vehicle didn’t slowly rumble forward as would be expected, but quickly accelerated, moving through the doors as soon as they were wide enough to allow the truck to rumble through.

Imperius grunted as he was jostled, banging up against the side of the door. Hadriel slammed against Imperius’s other side before he managed to right himself, grumbling out an apology. The archangel of valor’s attention though was on Lihua as she sat leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, smirking wide as she regarded the two. Everything about her demeanor was off, the confident different and nothing about her felt the same. The archangel of valor’s wings flicked as he leaned in a bit, eyeing her carefully.

“So, are you going to reveal who or what you are, or are you going to vex me with wearing her face?” Imperius growled.

The laugh that escaped Lihua was a low guttural sound, far deeper than what a mortal woman could be capable of and far too familiar. 

“Of course. The disguise is no longer needed,” their strange savior drawled, the disguise starting to melt away, “After all, it is important you know who assisted you in your escape.”

Imperius tensed, feeling confusion, shock, and mistrust rise all at once as Lihua’s dainty frame expanded outwards, becoming more demonic by the minute. Large horns rose upwards from a half covered, skeletal face, the eyes narrowed in amusement. 

“Belial,” Imperius growled.

The demon lord gave a dip of his head as the troops in the room began to shift their form as well, taking on the snake-like visage of his chosen demonic minions, “Surprised?”

“I have heard news of you surviving in this age, scuttling about and hiding from Mephisto’s wrath,” Imperius drawled, “But I did not expect to see you here of all places. You are not known to be the type to risk your neck to go against the prime evils so directly.” 

“Or the sort to do such a thing without a reason,” Hadriel added, his tone irritated. 

Belial shook his head, holding up both his hands in a gesture meant to placate the two angels,“I have no intention of harming you or using you to barter,” he said, already leaning forward to undo their bindings, no doubt in a show of good will that he was, for once, speaking more truthfully, “And I do not act alone. I act on the behalf of the one I serve and their personal interests in all of this.”

That did not bring any comfort to Imperius. The lords of Hell, even the minor ones, did not bend knee easily to other powers unless there was a reason to do so or they were subjugated to do so. 

Neither option was ever good especially given Belial’s rank as one of the seven greater evils of Hell.

“Who do you serve then Belial?” Imperius asked wearily, rubbing his wrist lightly, minding his claws.

“They wish to remain anonymous for now until you meet them formerly,” Belial responded, settling back in his seat, with a dismissive wave of his hand, “I am merely here to help you escape as a sign of good will on their behalf. They wish to cast the stones and meet with you.”

Imperius tensed. To cast the stones was a term found both in Heaven and Hell to indicate a talk of peace or a ceasefire in the conflict. In the time of Imperius’s youth, such meetings were rather common things and took place in Pandemonium at a place known as the Casting Stones. Legend had it the place was where the first angel and demon met, thus sparking the conflict and it was place therefore used for meetings between the factions. That had been before the battle there that had destroyed the place and broken all contact between Heaven and Hell for millennium to follow. 

That had been the day the Eternal Conflict had been escalated to the level it was now.

“What reason would we have to ever cast stones again with Hell?” Imperius growled.

“Because you need allies, and the one I speak for has an interesting proposition to make,” The lord of lies gave a roll of his eyes, “I do not agree with this anymore than you do, but my dislike of Mephisto simply happens to be somewhat larger than my hate of you and your kin.”

Hadriel crossed his arms, eyeing Belial, “So why would your lord want peace with Heaven?”

“I am not at liberty to express their will.”

Imperius snorted. A typical response for a demon, especially one like Belial that had a perchance for not wanting to be open about information nor be truthful most of the time. The archangel of valor raised a hand to rub at his chest as his thoughts struggled to wrap around what was being said as he was not yet fully recovered from his brief time in Mephisto’s care.

Casting the stones was something to put before the council and if accepted, given the formality of such a request, the leader of Heaven would be expected to be the one who conducted the meeting. No doubt Hell was still under the impression he was still upon the throne and hadn’t abdicated it to Tyrael recently. Otherwise, he doubted Belial would have put himself at such risk to infiltrate Mephisto’s ranks and aid in his rescue. 

“And this mysterious lord you serve, are they of rank enough to parley with me?” Imperius asked warily, “I will not meet with some minor demon of Hell.”

“They sit above me in ranking currently within Hell.”

“Not saying much as you barely have enough power to scrape by last it was told,” Hadriel drawled, “All of Mephisto’s little crotch spawns sit higher than you now.”

Belial let out a humorless chuckle, “At least I can still draw breath in this world unlike that fool Azmodan that sought to unseat Mephisto time and time again.”

Imperius felt his jaw twitch, the teeth clicking together in a sound of displeasure, “Then tell me this demon, how many of the lords of Hell still-“

His words were cut off by a sudden slam to the side of the truck that nearly threw him forward and into the lord of lies. Belial hissed loudly, bracing himself, eyes narrowed, “What in the void’s name-“

Then he was ducking down suddenly as a large, familiar blade was shoved through the side of the van, followed by a second one as the vehicle was suddenly thrown to the side, the roof ripping clean off. Imperius was quick to take to wing and into open air before landing, feeling completely dumbfounded as he saw a familiar, shark-like demon with a pair of now larger glowing wings hunched at the side of the street, snarling loudly.

“Rakanoth?! How are you-“

Imperius’s words were cut off as the lord of despair barreled into him, all but crushing him against his now rather armored chest, snarling loudly, “I should kill you right now, you horrid, wretched, bastard!” the ascending demon snarled, “I should murder you where you stand!” 

The archangel of valor managed a wheeze between his teeth, squirming to try and get the room to speak, “Rakanoth how are you-“

“You think I was going to stay in Heaven with all those pigeons when you weren’t there?” Rakanoth snapped, “You are the only think I stay in that place for and if you are going to go off and be a suicidal, idiotic, damned…I don’t even know what to call you because there is probably no being in creation stupider than you right now!” 

The archangel of valor let out a growl, shoving a hand in the shark-like demon’s face, only to pull it back when Rakanoth nearly bit him, “How did you even find me!?”

“Please Imperius. I could find you anywhere,” Rakanoth huffed sitting back on his haunches before starting to aggressively lick the archangel, “I know the feel of your soul and the scent of your miserable hide thousands of miles away! You’re my mate!”

“I’m your what!?”

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but what in the bloody fucking hells is going on?” 

Imperius looked back at where Hadriel stood, his wings held up in alarm and the confusion was practically radiating off him. If that was not embarrassing enough, Imperius was well aware that Belial had burst into laughter nearby, a chorus of giggly hisses following. The archangel of valor was well aware he was blushing as he forcefully moved to push Rakanoth off him, stumbling a few steps away from the overly affectionate demon. 

“It is a long, complicated story,” Imperius growled, “Just know Rakanoth is our ally.”

“I’m turning into a glowing pigeon. I can be trusted,” Rakanoth drawled, turning his head as if he could see the now larger, twitching wings on his back, “I do not much care though for this Heavenly aesthetic. Malthael though assures that if I hate it, it will maintain things at a more familiar form.”

The former lord of despair lowered his head, tongue snaking out to slide over the slitted metal now covering his chest, the coloration a dark teal trimmed a dark silver and having a more organic, flowing pattern like that of water, “I still don’t think he knows what he’s talking about.”

“Going ascended are we? That is now what I expected of the lord of despair,” Belial drawled, slowly coming over.

Rakanoth bared his teeth, “Ah, Belial, how is it going having to live under rocks and eat literal gutter trash like a common peasant of a demon?”

That caused Belial to bare his teeth, letting out a low growl. Rakanoth matched it, arching up to his full height. The postured for a bit more before Belial snorted, retreating a few steps back, crossing his arms over his chest, “The offer stands now still, to meet with the one whom I serve. I believe the two of you have much to discuss.”

“This is a choice to be made by the council,” Imperius growled, side-stepping another nuzzle from Rakanoth, “I will not go blindly with you now.”

Belial bared his teeth and looked like he would argue before his shoulders slumped and he let out an irritated growl, “Fine. Talk with your council. Deliberate the whole matter, but when you make your choice, I will have one of my agents in a location that will be disclosed to you within a week through a mutual network of contacts.”

“Mutual network of contacts?” Imperius murmured before he let out a grunt as Rakanoth once more started to pull him back against him.

“He speaks of the Scoundrel Syndicate,” Hadriel drawled, “It is an underground resistance that arose to combat the Horadrim and their anti-supernatural policies. They are more aware of the situation, although they tend to be working their own angles and deal more in undermining Hell. They have a few demonic contacts, if only to keep an eye on developing situations.”

Imperius cocked his head, jaw giving a peculiar snap, “Why have I not heard of this?”

“They wouldn’t be an affective group if they were able to be discovered easily,” Hadriel gave a shake of his head, “But I am a part of the organization as a deep agent. If Belial makes contact through them, then I’ll be able to receive the missive.”

“How many more secret organizations are there that we could have been using to better supply information on what is going on?” Imperius growled.

“Scoundrel Syndicate is the last of them, save for the Horadrim which are under Mephisto’s control, and the Covenant of Rathma who tend to surface in sporadic bursts time to time to combat those who claim to be priests of Rathma’s faith,” Hadriel said with a shrug, “And I would say your officers in Heaven, if any are alive, would know about two of those at least, given the Scoundrel Syndicate works with them to help hide angels from time to time or gives warning about Horadrim raids.”

Imperius wings flicked. He knew Ignaceus had spoken about connections, but he hadn’t really elaborated on what those connections actually were. 

 

“We will send the request through those lines,” Belial said, his appearance shifting and shimmering as he started to move back to the woods around them, “We’ll hopefully be in touch, archangel Imperius.”

It was clear the lord of lies wasn’t one to be polite with an angel and it was clear every pleasantry he was putting on had another hand insisting it. It only served to make it more confusing for Imperius as to which demon lord it could be. It was not Mephisto. The lord of hatred had elaborate plans yes, but he would not have worked with a demon lord that had crossed him. Of the other two brothers, the only news was of their demises and even so, Diablo refused any peace with Hell, wanting complete dominance, and Baal had never spoken on the behalf of Hell for anything in the past as he did not seem the type to be involved in politics. 

It could be a new face and that was an even more alarming concern.

The lord of lies was gone before Imperius could ask any further questions, but he doubted he would have gotten any answers. Belial only said what he wanted others to hear and no doubt he was keen on keeping in the good graces of his new master. It would be hard to coax a word of information from him. 

Imperius let out a sigh, looking over to Hadriel who still looked very tense, still eyeing Rakanoth who was nosing up behind Imperius again, licking over the his back. The archangel of valor let out a growl, turning around quickly to grab Rakanoth’s tongue.

“As for you, what in the blazes do you mean we are mates!? What are you going on about!?” 

Rakanoth make a gurgling sound that sounded like a response, his tongue still being held by the archangel. Imperius sighed and let it go, “What?”

“I said, of course we are mates. We did the things mate do.” Rakanoth responded with a huff, “Do you not know anything about demon courtship with the higher nobility of Hell?”

“Demons court!?”

Hadriel cleared his throat loudly, “Not that this little love affair isn’t interesting and uncomfortable, but we should probably move before the Horadrim catch up with us.”

Imperius let out a low growl, “We will finish this discussion later, Rakanoth.” He said looking away, “We will return to Heaven then, as I do not think you will let me continue my exile.”

“I would of course and go along with you, except, the one that let me come here made me promise to bring you back as the compensation for opening the portal,” Rakanoth said, grinning wide, leaning in to nip at Imperius’s wing tips.

“Who? Was it Tyrael? Tevar? Aladria?”

“Ignaceus,” Rakanoth said trying to start tugging Imperius with him, overbalancing the archangel, “his exact words were go find that idiot and bring him back or so help him, he is finding a priest of Rathma to raise the spirit of the archangel of victory and all your ancestors to come hunt you down and box your wings in.”

Imperius winced, rubbing at the corruption on his chest, wings reflexively pulling closer despite the fact that the threat was impossible. The power behind a box to his wings from his caretaker had left an aching phantom pain throughout his life of the mere mention of it. 

“…then I guess I’m going back,” he murmured, “And I’m not going back alone.”

He shot a look to Hadriel who merely raised both his hands, “My cover is blown so need to return to that life,” He assured Imperius, “I’ll come back to Heaven and have my say before I go back underground.”

“I would prefer you stay above ground rather than vanishing for years,” Imperius growled, “We need everyone accounted for.”

“Yes, but my skills are best in use when I’m allowed the freedom to act on my own. It is why I accepted a position as a lesser archangel,” Hadriel returned, crossing his arms, “I needed the freedom to do my job, not be caught up in rank and orders.” 

The way Hadriel spoke, the commitment to his duty reminded Imperius so much of a younger Tyrael. Yet the cunning and dismissive attitude towards the plight of others reminded him far too much of Malthael. Imperius could only let out a sigh, knowing there would probably a fight when it came to the archangel of secrets remaining in Heaven, especially with the council all but gutted and needing leaders in the ranks. 

Not to mention that there was going to be conflict regarding Aladria’s personal connection to the angel as well as whatever tensions remained between Hadriel and Malthael. 

“Rakanoth, did Ignaceus have a plan for getting you back?” He finally said at length.

“Of course. He’s down here too.” The demon said with a huff, stretching out, “He left Samurel in charge.”

Imperius’s wings flared, “He’s alive?”

The demon cocked his head, “…sort of? I was told he was in what mortals refer to as a coma? Either way, it was exploiting some loophole where as long as an officer is technically alive, you have to follow their orders. So since he can’t give any, the orders are a full lockdown. No one is moving.”

Imperius rubbed at his chest, wincing just a bit. That was a move Ignaceus only tended to employ when he was putting intentional blocks in the ranks of Heaven and undermining council authority. Such exploits in the system were rarely used except in extreme circumstances where those in the rank and file felt the Angiris Council was not serving in Heaven’s best interest. 

Imperius could only remember the move being employed three times in the past and each time had resulted in a scramble to rectify the situation. 

“I see... he stands relieved of duty then?”

“I don’t know. I just know the basic idea of putting a comatose angel in charge means the armies of Heaven sit and watch the paint dry, to quote a mortal phrase.” 

Hadriel crossed his arms, “I hate to interrupt, but standing around her talking about the local gossip of Heaven isn’t in our best interest currently. I would suggest moving immediately to Ignaceus’s position.”

Imperius looked over at Hadriel before giving a nod, turning to Rakanoth, “Take us to him.”

“With pleasure!”

He had meant for the demon to lead them there. Instead Rakanoth bounded forward to wrap the two in a bear hug, crushing them against his chest before he vanished away. Imperius squirmed about, grasping onto the arm of the ascending demon as they appeared once more. 

They were in a clearing of sorts, deep within the forest, Rakanoth didn’t make any move to release the two from his grip as he toddled forward to where a human male sat back against a tree, a bottle of vodka in hand. There was no alarm as he rose to his feet slowly, taking a long swig from the bottle before fixing Imperius with a scowling look.

“Sir, I know you are all about self-sacrifice, but I’m frankly getting tired of being told every few millennium you’ve decided to not come back to Heaven, either by your own power or not.” 

“I don’t want to lose control in Heaven and-“

“You won’t.” Ignaceus said tersely, “I think you need to trust more in your own strength rather than be plagued by self-doubt sir.” The commander paused, head cocked as he watched Hadriel squirm to get out, “At least though you managed to find the other pain in my ass.”

Hadriel tensed, looking over at Ignaceus before looking away with a huff, “You know I don’t surface until my mission is complete.”

“Yes, but when there is such a large shift in Heaven and a complete recall of all agents underground, an order I passed through the syndicate repeatedly to try and get it to you, I expect you not to continue to demonstrate that the only thing Tyrael taught you seems to be how to ignore orders and think you know what’s best,” Ignaceus drawled,.

The archangel of secret’s wings flicked as he finally slipped out of Rakanoth’s grip, “Well, it was a good thing I didn’t come back or you would have lost Imperius.”

Ignaceus snorted, crossing his arms, “He probably wouldn’t have left as the whole incident that set this off involved trying to find you.” 

“Argue later. Go home now,” Rakanoth huffed, “I am not letting any of Mephisto, his nepehelem spawn, or his worthless hordes near my mate again.” 

“Will you stop saying that?” Imperius growled, finally managing to wriggle out of Rakanoth’s grip, stumbling forward.

Rakanoth just snorted, moving forward to nudge his head up between Imperius’s wings, starting to rather aggressively groom him with long swipes of his tongue, causing the archangel of valor to twist about to try and hold his head back. Ignaceus just shook his head, moving over and raising a hand, quickly opening a portal, “We’ll sort everything out when we get back. There are a few people who want to have a few words with you, Imperius.”

“I’m sure there are…” Imperius paused, shoulders tensing, “And a few words I want to have with them as well. When we return, summon the council. We have an important matter to discuss and I think all need to hear Hadriel’s report as well. Call the meeting for tomorrow.”

“As you wish, sir,” Imperius said with a dip of his head. 

“And make sure Malthael is there. Even if he can’t leave Heaven, I want him to know what is going on. His wisdom will be imperative moving forward.”

“…Malthael is alive? I had hoped that was some sort of lie being told…”

Imperius glanced over to Hadriel. The archangel’s posture was tense, wings pulled close to his back and arms crossed tight over his chest. The archangel of valor gave a curt nod, “He is, yes, and has been pardoned of his crimes of the past, although he remains under house arrest in the care of Orephiel.”

“Ah,” Hadriel drawled, giving a shake of his head as he moved towards the portal, “Well then, I respectfully request I get to punch the bastard in the face for trying to kill me during his whole insanity binge.”

Before Imperius could ask what Hadriel meant, the angel ducked in through the portal. Ignaceus was standing beside it, hands behind his back as his mortal disguise melted away, head tilted expectantly. Behind the archangel of valor Rakanoth was already inching closer, making it clear if he even tried to run or move in any direction that wasn’t the portal, he would be quick to intercept. 

The archangel of valor rubbed a clawed hand over his chest, “I shouldn’t go back. I’m barely myself-“

“You are still with us and we are working to save you,” Ignaceus interrupted, “Put faith in us, as we have in you all this time.”

“And if you leave, I’m dragging you back,” Rakanoth growled, “This place is not safe for any save Hell. I will not have Mephisto get his claws in you!”

Imperius tensed, reminded again of the demon’s words. His wings pulled against his back, making a low rasp as they did so as they became less ethereal and more corporeal. 

“I will go, but if I even snarl at someone-“

“We have precautions in place sir,” Ignaceus said tersely, “You are not the first to fall, nor the last. Again, trust in us. We are stronger together, not apart.”

Imperius let out a soft sigh, glancing to the portal before finally starting to move towards it. He wasn’t alone, didn’t have to be alone. Self-sacrifice, was that not one thing he had scorned above all else, the very reason he had found Tyrael’s actions abysmal?

Shame welled up in his soul as he dipped his head. 

“…you are right and as ever, I seem very content to be the greatest hypocrite in the history of Heaven,” Imperius murmured tiredly as he moved forward. 

Ignaceus chuckled, “Not the biggest, no, but you are starting to get there.”

The archangel of valor let out a chuckle, stopping just in front of the portal, “There will be a lot said I believe.”

“Yes, but everything will settle.” Ignaceus said with a shrug, “Don’t tell me you are scared.”

Rakanoth snickered, sidling up behind Imperius to give him a nudge, “Do you need us to hold your hand?”

Imperius scoffed at the notion, squaring his shoulders and feeling a rush of that stubborn energy rise in his soul. He looked between the two before giving both a shove and stepping through the portal.

There would be a lot to sort out, a lot of meetings and debates to be had, and a lot of decisions to be made. Those though would be made together, not apart, not with one believing they needed to take on the troubles of all.

He would beg forgiveness for his rash actions, but afterwards….

Afterwards they would have to determine what would need to be done going forward into this new, uncertain chapter of their tribulations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And new players are revealed and new twists are coming in c: This chapter had so much in it! I just hope you all enjoy! <3


	29. Broken Past

Imperius had already prepared himself for the inevitable berating he was going to receive as he stepped through the portals. Truly he couldn’t blame the others for finding fault with his actions and thus hold him in some contempt. He would deserve their ire and he would endure it and do what he could to beg their pardon for his lapse in judgement. 

As he stepped through to the other side, his wings were tense, half expecting all of Heaven to be standing there ready to ask a thousand questions at once. To his relief though, the immediate area was empty for now save Hadriel who stood there looking about, no doubt expecting the same mob to have been there as Imperius. Fortunately though, it seemed word of Imperius’s return hadn’t yet hit social media.

“How long before all of Heaven arrives?” Hadriel asked as Ignaceus slipped through the portal.

The commander gave a shrug, waiting for Rakanoth to pass through before closing the portal behind him, “Should not be long. I have passed the word along to only a few in order to keep a mob from forming. Imperius’s return will cause a stir well enough, but having Hadriel return as well might have every angel here.” 

Hadriel shuddered, looking away, “Wonderful,” he drawled, “Being thrown into a crowd of questioning angels and needing to flee around corners like some Sanctuary celebrity. Just what I wanted to spend my time doing.”

“It will last but a few weeks at most,” Imperius grumbled, rubbing a hand over his corruption, “It will pass.”

“I know, but it does not mean I will enjoy even a moment of it,” Hadriel grumbled, wings pulling against his back.

Imperius could tell the archangel of secrets was nervous. Not out of fear, but more the fact he had never done well with being inactive in terms of his perceived duties to Heaven. Hadriel had practically lived in Pandemonium and even Hell itself to complete his espionage work. It had caused his mannerism at times to be more disagreeable and argumentative, according to some. Others complained he was far too sarcastic and rather snide in his comments, but Imperius often believed that was just how the archangel of secrets had been raised. 

After all, Tyrael had a sarcastic streak, especially in the days before his brother had left Heaven, and as proven by his actions, had always had a disagreeable nature when it came to something he was passionate about. The archangel of justice had been content to meddle in the affairs of Sanctuary and for a long time, Hadriel had aided him in those endeavors, often helping to cover for Tyrael and hide from the council what the archangel of justice was up to.

It was only when Tyrael had made the choice to fall from heaven and live as a mortal did Hadriel finally break ties with the host of justice and he had absconded from Heaven. What he did from that point was hard to pin as it seemed only rarely he surfaced to relay some information to those he found still loyal to Heaven’s laws. 

What had changed was a bitterness that Imperius had not remembered and that the archangel of secrets seemed even more uncomfortable with Heaven than before. The archangel of valor watched as Hadriel looked about at the fading towers, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It is not how I remember it,” Hadriel murmured as he looked over towards Ignaceus and Imperius,“It seems more decay and more broken than ever before.” 

“Heaven was left to rot due to poor leadership, bad advice, and little information,” Imperius responded, following Hadriel’s gaze“But it all can be rebuilt.”

Hadriel shook his head, “I highly doubt that given how much power Hell has now. You’ll be lucky if Mephisto doesn’t find a way to get his Horadrim into Heaven to rip you all apart.” 

Rakanoth snorted, “He hasn’t managed in millennium, why would he suddenly be able to now?”

“Because now he’s properly motivated,” Hadriel drawled. 

The archangel of valor gave a small shake of his head, “If you truly believe that, then I wonder, what kept you to your duty for so long?” Impeirus asked, crossing his arms, “Especially if it seems such a hopeless endeavor?” 

 

The archangel of secrets glanced back at Imperius, his gaze shifting to Rakanoth as the demon stretched out before letting out a sigh and looking away, wings drooping, “Old habit maybe,” Hadriel said quietly, “Maybe believing that I would be able to get one last shot, one last chance to take down Mephisto and do some right in this world despite the odds.”

He let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head, “A bit childish maybe though. The reality is that there would be someone to take his place. There are endless streams of demons and wicked nephelem that would be more than pleased to take his place.” 

“That is the nature of the eternal conflict,” Ignaceus said with a shrug, “Always a new battle to fight, just a different battlefield. It is a fool’s paradise to imagine that Hell will ever be content to its share of reality.”

Rakanoth gave a snort, “More or less. Every demon has its teeth, as it were,” The large demon turned his head, the wings flicking back and forth behind him, “And there is the laws of Hell to consider.”

“Demons have laws?” Imperius drawled, flatly, “I thought it was simply a myth…”

“They have laws, just no one but the nobility of Hell seems to be privy to them,” Hadriel muttered.

The lord of Despair didn’t say a word about it, merely baring his teeth lazily as he moved forward to give a nudge to Imperius’s shoulder with a low hum. The archangel merely grunted in response, but almost reflexively brought a hand up to stroke over the demon’s snout.

“I’m sure that will be something to consider at a later time given that someone in Hell is looking to cast stones for the first time in millennium,” Imperius said, looking over towards Ignaceus and Hadriel, “We will gather the council-“

“Not to interrupt my lord, but what council exactly?” Ignaceus asked in exasperation, “You and Itherael are the only ones confirmed to the council and you have yet to organize the new angiris council to handle affairs of Heaven.”

Imperius’s wings flicked out sheepishly before he ducked his head and glanced away, “Ah…I suppose I should handle that first…”

“It would be terribly appreciated my lord,” Ignaceus quipped, clasping his hands behind his back. 

Hadriel sighed, looking out over Heaven, “Would there be any chance that I won’t be drafted to the council?”

The archangel of valor let out a short bark of bitter laughter, “Oh Hadriel, I am going to make sure you are the first one on my list to be made a proper archangel of the angiris council.

He turned away from the archangel of secrets to regard his lieutenant, giving a bow of his head, “I will sort that out this evening and then I will-“ 

“Never leave Heaven again or be left on your own for the rest of eternity Imperius!”

The archangel of valor couldn’t help a wince as he glanced over to see Tevar stalking towards him with a look that would send the prime evils themselves diving for cover. Imperius turned towards him, giving an apologetic bow as his wings pulled tight to his back, “Tevar, I’m-“

“Don’t you even say sorry!” Tevar snapped, jabbing a finger hard into Imperius’s chest, “Just don’t do that ever again! Do you know how worries I was? I couldn’t even sleep! I have been awake for months hovering over Itherael’s shoulder trying to find you!”

“That makes two of us.”

Imperius glanced up as Aladria came over, hands curled into fists at her side, looking decidedly more angry, “You scream at me to go through-“

Aladria-“

“And then don’t come through yourself!?” She finished, raising her voice, “How dare you-“

“Aladria…?”

The fury of the scholar was momentarily sucked dry as she looked towards Hadriel, blinking at him in confusion, “….hello?”

Imperius felt the internal wince and could feel Hadriel turning to look at him, a slight simmer of anger and confusion in his resonance and a small spark of mad hope that was hard to pin. The archangel of valor just stared back, not sure what even to say as Aladria looked between the two, her expression bewildered. 

“Have we met sir?” Aladria asked quietly to Hadriel.

“That is, well,” Hadriel returned, looking over to Ignaceus, “Entirely dependant on if…” 

The archangel of secrets trailed off, looking expectantly to Imperius to confirm his suspicions. Aladria too followed his gaze, looking completely at a loss. Imperius cleared his throat, making as if to speak before glancing to Ignaceus.

The lieutenant-general of valor let out a soft sigh, shaking his head before stepping forward, gesturing towards the archangel of secrets. 

“Aladria Cain? Hadriel, archangel of secrets. Hadriel-“

Ignaceus hadn’t even gotten the introduction out before the fury of the scholar returned in full force and before anyone could say another word, she had cocked back her arm and slammed her fist forward into where a face would be for the archangel of secrets. The hit wasn’t powerful and truly, hitting an angel in the ‘face’ was only a little bit more effective than hitting them anywhere their armor was, but the fact he had not been prepared for it had caused him to stagger back some, wings spreading in alarm. 

Hadriel seemed completely at a lost, but was quick to step back from Aladria as she rounded on him again, her expression livid. 

“You!” Aladira snarled, jabbing a finger his way,“You finally come crawling back out of whatever hell hole you’ve been sitting in, after abandoning me all my life-“

“It isn’t what you think!” Hadriel protested, holding up his hands, “I had no choice if-“

“You had no choice!? What kind of asshole has to abaonded their own child and wife and-“

“I was trying to-“

“-just fucks off to who knows where and leaves me in a hell childhood of being passed around from family to family!” Aladria continued, raising her voice until she was shouting over Hadriel’s sputtering protests, “Do you know how unwanted I felt!? Do you know how many times I was hoping that you would just walk in through the door and-“

“Would you just listen rather than scream at me!?” Hadriel roared, wings flaring and glowing brighter, “I couldn’t stay with you! If I did-“

“If you did, something could have been worked out!” Aladria thundered, stepping up to jab a finger in his chest, “You could have stayed! You could have-“ 

“They were going to kill you if I stayed, just like your mother!” he roared, grasping onto her shoulders tightly, “They would have slaughtered you!”   
Hadriel was trembling then, his grip tight on her as she stared at him in slight alarm at the outburst. Even Imperius had taken a step back. Such shows of emotion were rare coming from Hadriel. Much like Malthael, he spent a great deal of time schooling his emotions behind a rather cold façade, putting his duty above all else. 

The archangel of secrets inhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm and let his hands fall away from Aladria’s shoulders as he took a step back, glancing away, “Your mother was killed by demons and it was only a miracle of Heaven that I managed to get back in time to save you,” he said, lowering his voice, “I tried. For two years I damn well tried to live a normal life with you while always moving, always having to keep ahead of Hell I did everything I could to get away from this damn conflict at last and move on. To just let Hell win and be with you and your mother, at least for one lifetime.” 

His hands clenched at his side, shoulders hunching, “But there was no escape. Every day we lived with the threat of death over us and the threat Mephisto would simply take you in as his own. I had to leave you, to let you have a chance at a normal life,” He glanced up, his voice trembling with the faintest sound of anger, “Do you …do you think that wasn’t easy? Did you really think I just forgot about you? You and your mother meant more to me than anything in Heaven.”

Aladria was trembling now, tears swelling in her eyes as her hands reached up to latch onto his wrists, but made no move to hold him in place or push him away, “I always thought you didn’t want me and hated me. That’s why you left me standing there, telling me you would be right back…”

“I’m so sorry,” He said quietly, looking away, “I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted you to be safe and I couldn’t protect you. Not on my own,”

“Why didn’t you go to the other angels?” She asked, looking up at him, moving now to rub the tears at the corner of her eyes, “They could have helped! They could have-“

“Been put in danger and then there would be more death on my hands,” Hadriel said quietly, “Hell would have tracked me to anywhere I lingered. My entire existence has been hiding who I am, becoming people I’m not, and having to cut off all contact to keep everyone safe.”

Aladria shook her head, “…it could have worked out,” she managed out, choking back a sob, “It could have-“

Hadriel gave a shake of his head, moving to step away from her, “I don’t think you grasp the severity of the whole situation-“

“I don’t grasp it!? I’ve been living it for months!” She exploded, glaring at him, “I can understand very clearly the danger that-“

“Just like your mother understood!?” Hadriel snapped, “Just like she understood and listened to my advice and ended up being torn apart and her head used for some sadistic demon’s pleasure!? That is what you fucking understand so well!?”

Aladria took a step back, eyes wide as Hadriel all but shouted at her, wings flared and his entire resonance filled with an intense, emotional pain. Imperius had to look away. There was trauma there, brought on by Hell and a reminder of the sick lengths to which some demons went to proclaim their disdain for any sense of decency.   
Hadriel trembled, taking a steadying breath before turning away, “I’m sorry, but…circumstances are not what you believe.”

“Then tell me what they are!” Aladria pleaded, “Help me to understand your stupid, misguided-“

The archangel of secrets didn’t grace her with an answer this time, his wings flaring out as he quickly took to wing without another word, his core burning with a pain so intense that even Imperius could feel it tearing at his soul. 

Aladria stared wide-eyed for a moment as he left, before she let out a shriek, taking a few steps forward as if she could give chase to the rapidly disappearing figure. 

“Go and run away again then!” she screamed, “seems that is the only thing you are capable of now! Can’t just…can’t just talk to me can you!?” 

Tevar winced, moving quickly to her side and wrapping an arm about her, causing the woman to let out a sob and turn to press her face into his chest. He looked helplessly over at Imperius who let out a soft sigh of his own, rubbing a hand over his chest. He was at a loss as well as of what to do. One one hand, he understood where Aladria was coming from, but he knew why Hadriel left. 

The archangel of secrets had wanted to restrain his own outbursts and avoid causing any more harm. He would return to speak with her. 

Just not now. Just not when they were both hurting so terribly. 

“Tevar, take her to Itherael and explain to them what has happened. I am sure they will have some solutions to offer,” he murmured. 

“I don’t want solutions!” Aladria screamed then, pushing away from Tevar, “I just want people to stop abandoning me!”

“Then maybe you should calm down!” 

The entire group jumped when Rakanoth spoke up. The demon let out a hiss from where he was sitting back on his haunches, baring his teeth. Her eyes narrowed in anger and she opened her mouth to speak only for the demon to let out a louder growl, quickly cutting her off, “Go to your mate,” he snarled, “go calm down, and if you want to scream at me, I can assure you, I have lived my entire life getting into screaming matches with people and I can get loud enough to make ears bleed.”

Aladria’s jaw tensed and for a moment, she looked as if she would shout at Rakanoth. The demon seemed unconcerned, letting out a louder, more powerful growl, more or less assuring her that he would be good on his word. After a few seconds she looked away, shaking her head. 

“I’m not being unreasonable!”

“I never said you were being unreasonable.” Rakanoth snapped, “I said you were being loud and screaming at people.”

“Let’s just get going and find some sweets and other things, yeah?” Tevar said, starting to pull Aladria along towards the mortal quarter, “Itherael will meet us there. Just texted them. We can just pile in the living room and watch movies until we all are feeling a little better about today.” 

Aladria just huffed, growling under her breath and pushed away from Tevar, “…you are treating me like a child.”

“A child? I thought supporting your best friend with watching movies, talking, and food was just what people do for one another. But I suppose if we want to be adult about it, can just go to a coffee shop and talk about politics and taxes,” Tevar drawled.

Aladria scowled at him, but the anger was starting to fade. She let out a sigh, shaking her head as she crossed her arms, falling silent. Tevar came up beside her again, slipping an arm around her shoulder, “Come on, let’s go decompress and talk this over.”

“Yeah…decompress…” she murmured, leaning against him as the two took their leave. 

Rakanoth snorted, giving a shake of his head before he started to slink off, pausing a moment to eye Imperius, “Stay put in Heaven,” he growled, “Or I swear I’m going to nail you to the floor you half-wit.” 

The demon let out a huff before dragging himself along, looking drained and no doubt going to find a place to curl up and nap. More and more the demon had been sleeping, as if the process of ascension was draining him of his energy to fuel the changes. 

Imperius couldn’t help but let out another sigh, rubbing a hand at his chest as he watched the two mortals leave.

“That could have gone better,” he murmured. 

“Could have, but rarely can we control where things fall into place,” Ignaceus said with a sigh, “I’ll hunt down Hadriel to speak to him. He is not a, ah…very personable angel. Too much of his sires mixed with Tyrael’s brand of awkward socializing.” 

Imperius gave a nod, “That can be settled in time. I believe it is best to give him his space. Unlike his sire, he will come around to speak about what is bothering him after he has had time to geth is thoughts in order. I do not think he…expected to see his daughter her.”

 

“No,” Ignaceus agreed, “And not probably expecting other surprises to come. At the very least he is here for now.”

“And the foreseeable future. I am not letting him flit off,” Imperius paused, glancing over to Ignaceus, “Walk with me, lieutenant.” 

Ignaceus gave a nod, falling into step beside Imperius as the two of them began to move forward. The archangel of valor clasped his hands behind his back, shoulders slightly tense, “Has everyone remained relatively peaceful despite my departure?”

“Relatively,” Ignaceus said briskly, “As I said before, the majority of angels were not pleased with the new ruler and there was a rumble within valor to put forth a vote of no confidence and have Tyrael unseated.” 

“Was anything done to stop that?”

“I told them I would not follow Tyrael’s orders and continue to make decisions of the host in your absence until such a time as you returned,” the lieutenant-general said with a small shrug, “And I froze command of the host by placing Samurel in charge. He is… alive, although completely incapacitated.”

Imperius tensed. He had hoped that Rakanoth had been over-exaggerating the situation, “I see,” he murmured, “How is Samurel doing now?” 

 

Ignaceus tensed, looking over at Imperius before looking away, “It is best if you are shown, my lord.” 

The walk was silent as Ignaceus led the way to the medical ward. It was a small area of Heaven that formed a barrier between the gardens of hope and the halls of valor given it was more a joint area of concern. The angels of hope had always been the healers of Heaven, bring their touch to help stabilize wounded angels and encourage the resonance to swell with energy and heal. Even when there were periods or relative peace, the halls had always been filled with song and brought a sense of calm and peace to those around. 

Now though, the ward was silent and only three angels of hope were within, all three huddled about a table, wings dropped as they discussed something quietly among themselves. As the two angels of valor entered, one of the healers glanced up and then was quickly rising to her feet, wings raised in surprise. 

“Lord Imperius! It is good to see you returned to us!” the angel of hope said, giving a quick bow, “Your presence is as radiant as a new dawn after a storm!” 

“I’m sorry for neglecting my duties. I assure you, as your king, I will not be away again,” Imperius said, returning the bow, “I’ve come to inquire about lieutenant-major Samurel.”

There was a long silent after he posed his question and felt the unease in the air. The healer shifted from foot to foot, looking between Ignaceus and Imperius before looking down, “The situation is complicated,” she said softly, turning and gesturing for the two to follow. 

The other two healers at the table ducked their heads away, leaning over a rather large pile of scrolls and books, quietly talking and pointing out something in the scroll they were both huddled over, wings giving nervous flutters as Imperius passed. The sight filled the archangel of valor with slight confusion and a slight feeling of unease. 

Ignaceus cleared his throat, looking to the head healer as she led the way down the hall of the ward, “It may be best to explain things first, Yorval,” Ignaceus said quietly as he fell into step behind her, “I was hesitate to speak on the matter as I wasn’t sure on the exact prognosis last we spoke.” 

The hope angel nodded, wringing her hands as she walked, “I will do my best, commanders,” she said softly, “The damage was severe and although we have stabilized and prevented the bleed of his soul, he has made little progress towards recovery.”

“Explain.” Imperius said shortly, feeling the unease only grow in his soul.

Yorval ducked her head sheepishly, her wings pulling tight to her back, “Time has been cruel and….we of the host of hope have lost all of our elder members and our most skilled healers. Those of us left were mere…trainees at the time we departed and although we have gained experience, the wounds inflicted by Nephelem still evades us.” 

She glanced over her shoulder, looking pass the two angels of valor to the other two healers still bent over a scroll, “We are researching what we can, but it has been little use. Our own songs of hope does not seem to be enough to reach him.” 

Yorval came to a stop, gesturing into the room before her, head bowed, “To put it simply, he is alive, but he does not wake nor heal. His resonance is broken and it is beyond our skill to heal.”

Imperius felt the news sink heavily in his chest as he stopped in the doorway to look in. Samurel lay upon a berth, hands folded over his chest and what little of his wings had manifested, neatly tucked in under his back. The gesture seemed serene which contrasted to the horrific wounds he bore. The hip and leg struck before had not returned, leaving a gaping hole in its place, the metal around the breach twisted and greyed. A large crack had run up to his chest, exposing flickers of resonance within. 

There was no emotion coming from him, although Imperius could barely feel a resonance now. All that was there was the equivalent of white noise to a mortal. A silence broken only by murmurs and hisses of broken, scattered feelings that flicked through too fast to pin any single one. As the healer said, he was alive, but there was nothing else there.

What tore at Imperius even more was to see Ira sitting beside him, hunched over, elbows resting on her knees and arms crossed. She was starting listlessly at the floor and her own resonance spoke of distress and sorrow, only kept lifted by a tiny squirm of hope. She didn’t even react to the presence of the others in the doorway, barely casting a look over before looking back to Samurel. 

It was so jarring to see the usual upbeat, loud, boisterous captain seem so defeated. 

“Is there a chance he may wake still?” Imperius asked softly.

“It is doubtful,” Yorval admitted, lowering her head, “Without a proper soothsayer, we don’t have the necessary knowledge in which to even create a proper prosthetic to replace the wound and coax his resonance. We have done everything we can but…” 

She trailed off, glancing away as Ira glanced over, fixing her with a glare, as if quietly daring her to say something further. Yorval fidgeting some before lowering her voice, leaning in towards Imperius and Ignaceus, “He may become one of the sleeping.” 

Her grim words caused Imperius’s wings to pull tight to his back and a cold feeling to settle in his core. The sleeping were those angels who had fallen in battle and never awoke despite surviving their wounds. Something had been struck against the resonance that caused it to remain scattered and sometimes even a skilled soothsayer could not coax it back together. The sleeping were often entombed within the halls of the long vigil for centuries to see if they would one day awaken. However after the time of their vigil ended, the wardens of the hall would see to it a proper mercy was given to allow the remnants of their soul to return to the arch. 

It tore at him to see another fall to such a grim fate, all because the soothsayers had been lost due to Hell’s vicious plans.

Imperius turned away from the sight, looking to Yorval, “He will remain in the ward and be considered wounded until we retrieve Auriel and whatever angels of hope may be with her,” he said, “After which, if there is nothing further that can be done, he will be moved to the long vigil-“

“He’s not sleeping. He’s going to wake up!” 

The words were flat, but simmered with anger and Imperius couldn’t help the pity in his soul as he looked over at where Ira sat. She hadn’t moved other than to raise her head and glare tiredly, “He’s going to wake up.” 

“Of course. It is why I said only after we find Auriel,” Imperius said softly, “She will be able to help him.” 

“Yeah,” Ira murmured, her gaze sliding to the floor, “Yeah she will.”

Imperius glanced to Ignaceus and gave a small nod before starting to move off, gesturing for Yorval to follow. The healer was quick to fall into step behind the two angels of valor as they moved away from where Samurel lay.

“I worry about her,” Ignaceus murmured, “She has not spent more than a few minutes away from his side. I don’t think she wants to accept the inevitable of this situation.” 

Imperius shook his head, reaching over to pat Ignaceus’s shoulder, “If Hadriel knows where Mephisto’s true layer is, there is a chance that one of those held captive is a soothsayer who will be able to help.” 

“Maybe,” Ignaceus murmured quietly, “I still do not think it is healthy to have so much hope against grim odds. Sometimes you have to look at the alternative and have a plan if all else fails.”

“And what if I hadn’t come back?” Imperius asked quietly, looking to Ignaceus.

The lieutenant-general let out a quiet laugh, “Don’t say that sir. If that happens, we are well and truly doomed.”

“If you do know where lady Auriel is, I’m sure she can save him,” Yorval piped up, hope coloring her voice, “She was trained in the ancient ways, in songs that were only passed down from generation to generation, and her aura has always been strong enough to weave the threads of hope through fragmented souls. There has not been a sleeping since she ascended to the rank of archangel.”

Imperius gave a nod, feeling a bit of that same hope in his own being, “We will find her. It is merely a matter of time,” he reached to put one large hand upon the much smaller angel’s shoulder, “I’ll deliver here to you, matron, but for now, I’ll not keep you from your own work.”

Yorval gave a bow of her head, “I’ll keep researching with the others to find some answers and do all we can try to revive him in the meantime.” 

She gave one lass bow before she pulled away and flitted off hurriedly down the hallway back to where the other two healers were. Imperius watched her go, feeling some small hope. At the very least, the news of Auriel being possibly returned to Heaven had aided in inspiring some more hope in them.

Ignaceus cocked his head towards Imperius as the healer left, hands still clasped behind his back, “Are you sure Hadriel knows?” he asked quietly. 

“If he doesn’t, I’m damn sure he can make something of an educated guess,” Imperius growled, “And we have those in Heaven here that are rather good at reading between the lines to bring about more substantial answers.”

The archangel of valor paused for a moment as that thought reminded him of another angel in Heaven he wanted to pay a visit too before the flocks of angels descended on him, “Has Malthael behaved himself since I left?” 

“He hasn’t left the pools of wisdom and out of all the angels in Heaven, he seemed the most unconcerned about your departure,” Ignaceus said, “In fact he was convinced you would be back in a few months.”

Imperius started somewhat before letting out a sigh, shoulders drooping, “Aye, he would say that.”

“He knows you too well it seems,” Ignaceus commented.

“He does,” he paused, his shoulders hunching and wings giving a slight flare of agitation, “But I am finding he has kept more about himself a secret than I care for.”

The archangel of valor turned towards Ignaceus, giving a curt nod, “Lieutenant-general, see to it I am not disturbed for the rest of the day. Inform everyone tomorrow I will address their concerns formerly at the grand council chamber.” 

“Of course sir,” Ignaceus said with a bow of his head, “And if I need to reach you in an emergency?”

“I’ll be seeking out Malthael to share a few words with him,” Imperus growled.

Ignaceus gave a nod, “Your will be done sir.” He said before he vanished from sight.

Imperius wasted no time in leaving the ward and teleporting himself to the edge of the pools of wisdom, anger brewing in his soul as he stalked forward towards Malthael’s sanctum. It was not lost on Imperius either that it seemed the pools were well on their way to being restored, once more brimming with glowing waters and the foliage starting to creep back. The buildings had been scrubbed clean of graffiti, and although still broken, the place looked more presentable. All of that though was superficial in that moment compared to the agitation that Imperius felt towards the one who was probably behind pushing more resources to have his old host settled. 

Imperius stormed into Malthael’s study, wings flared as he fixed a pointed glare into the back of the tall former archangel who was bent over his notes, “Malthael, we need to speak. Now.”

Malthael didn’t look up, only giving a slight flick of a wing in greeting, “Ah, Finally back are we? Did you settle whatever ill-temperaments you were experiencing?”

“Quiet.” Imperius drawled, crossing his arms, “And I have been informed of a few new bits of information concerning the fact you seemed to have a relationship with Mephisto and have attempted murder of archangel.”   
That had Malthael pausing, his entire form going rigid for a moment before he turned fully around, “That….is a rather complicated mess more like it,” he said slowly, “And honestly, it really is not important-“

The next word that came out of Malthael was lost in a sudden strangled gasp as Imperius all but slammed him up against the wall, a hand about his throat, “ Do not tell he what is, or is not important, Malthael!” Imperius snarled, “I am not in the mood for your quips or secrets, not now. Not when this one nearly had me turned into a pawn by that wretched demon, all because he wanted to make a point to you!” 

The former archangel shifted in Imperius’s grip, both hands grasping onto the thick wrist as he fought to speak, “It is…something beyond my…control! I cannot ngh…! Control who is infatuated with me!” 

Imperius eyed him for a moment before letting him go, “Then I suggest you speak quickly of what it is exactly and also explain quickly why you attempted to murder Hadriel.” 

Malthael staggered, one hand moving to rub over his throat as he braced himself against the wall, “Both of those things…taken out of context can’t be properly explained-“

“Then give me the blasted context!” Imperius snapped, “We have an eternity to get the truth out of you, you can start by explaining at least this to me!” 

The former archangel eyed Imperius for a moment before letting out a sigh, wings going lax as he let his head fall back to thump against the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor, “There is little to explain when it comes to Mephisto. At some point he developed something of an infatuation with me that I did not returned and rebuffed. Then he took it to heart and has gone about his entire life finding ways to destroy anyone I hold dear,” 

“That does not seem like him though…he does not love things and did he not love Auriel?” Imperius asked, moving to take a seat himself, wings folding against his back. 

“Mephisto is a cunning bastard. Being overly flirty and good-natured is the most obvious ploy to make others think he holds them in any regard,” Malthael spat, “He had no real feelings for Auriel, he hated her because I had feelings for her.”

The dark angel looked up at Imperius, wings raised slightly, “The only thing Mephisto cares about is himself and he only wants what will please him, all others be damned.” 

“And you did not think to tell us about his infatuation?” Imperius growled. 

“Because what would anyone do about it?” Malthael retorted, rising to his feet, “Tried to tell Mephisto to stop? Just make it more apparent who to target? I spent a lifetime trying to keep everyone away just so he wouldn’t make a target of them!”

“And we could have been better prepared knowing we would always be a target of his!” Imperius snarled back, wings flaring as he rounded on the other angel, “When did you get it into your head that you have to do everything alone!?”

Malthael met Imperius gaze at last, his posture tense before he looked away, letting out a sigh. His wings drooped as he moved back over to the desk he had been bent over, trailing fingers over scrolls there. 

“I suppose it was out of fear of what may happen if I involved others,” Malthael murmured, “I didn’t want to lose anyone else after Magtherius died. It was…just easier to push everyone away and keep my secrets close. No one would ask if they had no idea of the truth.” 

The former archangel lifted a hand to tap against one of the crystalline devices that hung about his desk, his wings giving another flick, “I do not tell lies, but I do not reveal truth, and some things…some things I was too fearful to tell anyone. It would have destroyed the world I spent so much energy creating.” 

Imperius’s wings flared as he moved in closer to the other angel, his gaze flicking to the devices, “Your secrets have already destroyed everything and continue to tear at Heaven like a poison,” he said flatly, “How can I trust you if you cannot tell me everything?”

The archangel of valor looked to Malthael, wings pulling tight to his back, “I’m no longer the naïve, brainless pawn you could direct towards battle as a distraction to whatever games you were playing.” 

Malthael let out a chuckle, “Games….I played a lot of games, but they were the same games everyone else was playing for generations,” he looked over at Imperius, “What I did was no worse or better than what our so many have done before us. It doesn’t make it any better but…” 

The former archangel let his gaze drop to his notes as he moved to grip the edges of the desk, “I think at a later time, you and I will need to sit down and talk about all that really happened. When we all have time to breathe again.”

Imperius went to retort, only to be stopped by Malthael raising a hand and extending a finger to press to the archangel of valor’s new maw, “I will tell you everything Imperius. Every little detail and not withhold anything. I owe you that. I just need time to collect my thoughts. I don’t want to leave anything out.”

The archangel of valor eyed Malthael before letting out a sigh, teeth baring slightly, “If I’m even around long enough…”

“Give the state of your corruption, I am honestly surprised you haven’t succumbed to it,” Malthael admitted, “Usually that would mean you have some sort of immunity…”

“Mephisto said….there is a fragment of ascended in my soul,” Imperius murmured, rubbing a hand over his chest, “He tried to pull it out…”

“Ascended…” Malthael murmured, “I suppose it is possible. There were a few ascended kyrium around your camp that could have been in the song. Ironically a piece of purified hell seems to have protected you for now. I’m sure Mephisto’s attempt at extraction might have torn it up more.”

Imperius’s wings tensed some and he rubbed a hand over his chest. The fact wasn’t entirely comforting and sent a tremor of unease through his being. The archangel of valor sighed, giving his head a shake, “It doesn’t matter. Even that too will give out.”

Malthael glanced his way before looking back to his work, “I’m close to solving this. I know I am.” He said quietly, “If you can hold a bit more, I will find a way to reverse this corruption.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Imperius though did not believe there was a cure or anyways to survive what was afflicting is soul. There was a constant pain to his core that throbbed like an eternal spear in his side. The feelings of others were so muted now, leaving a strange silence ringing in his head, as if the world was slowly going silent. With that silence though came a sudden stir of unknown feelings. 

Something was crawling so far beneath his soul that he didn’t recognize but was finding more and more irritating, as if it tore against everything he stood for. A tingle, a shortness of breath, mixed with a sense of impending doom hanging overhead.

What this feeling was though that had suddenly started to bloom in his soul, he wasn’t sure what to describe it. All he knew it was entirely foreign and entirely unwanted. 

“I will withdraw for now. I need some time to rest,” Imperius murmured, “The pain has been…harder to ignore after Mephisto’s tampering.”

“May I suggest meditation?” Malthael said, one hand extended to tap at one of the crystals again, “It is a habit that used to calm me when Magtherius alive and perhaps one of the few habits I wish I would have continued.”

Imperius snorted, “I’ve never been good at mediation.”

“No time like the present to pick up old techniques,” Malthael said with a small gesture of his hand, “The breathing is the thing to focus on and finding some means in which to clear the mind. Some use chants or some sort of focus to promote a state of mindfulness.”

“And what do you use?”

Malthael chuckled, “In the past I used chants but now, I turn inward and grasp onto the state of peace that death invokes, the cold of it that has formed the core of my soul and embrace eternity I suppose I let my mind trace the paths back to my very roots and to the world that has always been my home. There is… peace in that darkness.”

Imperius looked over at Malthael, “…what of your aspect of wisdom?”

“Wisdom is what I thought I had,” Malthael said, tone amused, “But I have nothing of the sort and perhaps am the most unwise creature in creation. I am just a learned fool that can stumble into the right answer once or twice.”

“That is not very encouraging.”

The former archangel of wisdom let out a laugh, a surprisingly sincere sound coming from him as he shook his head, “Maybe so, but it is a liberating thing to know that you no longer are expected to be infallible. I am finding more and more, being able to be the fool is more rewarding than being the genius.”

Malthael turned away from his work again, moving over to a table filled with notes, “I’m good at research and putting pieces together. When I want to find an answer I can, but I have spent a lifetime convincing myself that trivial things, ridiculous things need to be put aside. It has taken me another lifetime to rediscover that spark of curiosity and joy we all use to foster when we were young. I had to learn how to lose a dozen times and enjoy the moment.”

Imperius looked at the former archangel before letting out a soft chuckle, “You’ve changed.”

“So have you. I don’t think I’ve seen you act this mature ever!” Malthael returned, his tone teasing, “Seems after thousands of years, you finally started to grow up.”

The archangel of valor shook his head, “Maybe. Maybe I have, or maybe just all those I hold dear were just as stubborn as myself in refusing to let go of hope for me yet.”

That small thought brought a small glow of warmth to his core. Aladria and Tevar did not give up on him. Rakanoth certainly didn’t nor did Ignaceus and the host of valor. Malthael hadn’t given up on him, even when everything seemed to be crashing down around them. 

Those that had, had been those that had only wanted to see him as reckless and hateful.

Imperius sighed, turning away, “Maybe I will try to meditate and take your advice, but I make no promises that I may just doze off or work myself into more of a fit.”

“Doze off. It is not like Master Yaseriel is going to be here to whack you over the head for it,” Malthael drawled, “However, if you want me to come over to the tower and kick you awake for old times’ sake, I will most certainly do so.”

That drew out a laugh from Imperius, “Malthael please! I still have the phantom pains of Master Yaseriel’s kicks against my flank to this day. We do not need to recreate their spirit again.”

Malthael chuckled, coming over to clap Imperius on the shoulder, “Then go doze off and call it a new form of meditation and pray to the arch Yaseriel doesn’t manifest themselves just to come and kick you once more.”

Imperius snorted, shaking his head, but moved to return the gesture, putting his hand on the former archangel’s shoulder, “Take care brother.”

Malthael’s countenance seemed to light up then, his wings lifting, “And you as well brother,” he returned, his voice colored with that hint of happiness he hadn’t heard for so long in the former archangel’s voice. 

Malthael had changed, but it was for the better. Whatever darkness of the past had been there, he had started to overcome, even if there was still so much more he had to account for. It gave Imperius hope that things could change for the better and after all this darkness, there was something beautiful in the making. The small glow in his chest remained as he turned away, taking to wing and making his way back into the core of Heaven proper. 

Really, he had no place in mind to meditate. There was the tower of meditation, but the place was filled with too many sour feelings for it to be used for that purpose. He had too many memories of arguments with the instructors there which ended when he had, of course, acted rather violently and headbutted one of them in the chest. Of course Bulnthael had found it amusing and howled with laughter for days, but Tyranius, had been none too happy. In the end, classes in meditation had been quietly swapped for classes in endurance which had left Imperius too sore and far too tired to do anything but flop over on his side afterwards and stare off into oblivion with his schoolmates. 

The archangel of valor drifted away from the towers near the core of Heaven, finding himself drifting away towards the halls of valor before passing over those as well. He moved beyond the edge of his domain, leaving behind the shining barracks and strongholds that defined his holdings and to the narrow strip of towers that clutched tenaciously onto the edge of Heaven. Beyond it lay a broken world of floating islands where the laws of reality began to pull apart, leaving only rising plumes of broiling black clouds lit up by sudden surges of energy cracking along in bolts of purple lightning. The land was kept in slow rotation about a large glowing eye within the storm clouds that seemed to explode outwards, lacing small fingers of energy through the clouds, drawing in the energy of Heaven into the heart of the maelstrom. 

It was upon that glowing rift that Imperius fixed his gaze, feeling the tingle of the incredible power that radiated from it. Other than pandemonium, that rift was the only natural connection Heaven had to other worlds, although beyond the glow of power, it was said there was nothing but a literal ocean of energy. The angels of heaven rarely dared to draw upon the energy as it was unstable and wild. Not to mention the dynamim angels that were native to these broken, energy filled lands, had long discovered that those that indulged too much in the arcane energy would be quick to lose touch with reality and fall to insanity. The nephelem and mortals of Santuary though had been quick to touch upon the arcane energies of that sea of energy, and unlike angels, had not learned to be caution of the draw of power.

Much of mortal history though it seemed was built upon mad mages losing grip with their art, consumed by the lust for power that came with the arcane well. It seemed a potent addiction that was very mortal. Demons could not access the arcane as readily, thus could not suffer the ill-effects of it. Angels could, but knew well the dangers. Mortals abused that power, drove themselves insane, and twisted the land around them, poisoning with the arcane sickness of a power too great to control.

Imperius rubbed a hand over his chest as he looked over the broken, chaotic landscape and the small bridges and statues built to connect the few remaining buildings together. 

It had been a place long since abandoned since the archangel of destiny had vanished. The dynamim had moved closer to the core of Heaven and into the great library of fate, their interest in the arcane and in using its power to divine the weave of time long abandoned after the scroll of fate was born. 

Carefully Imperius made his way forward onto one of the bridges, moving to one of the open towers. Most of the buildings had been gutted to make it more a place to sit and study than a place to live. The dynamim always felt they could perceive greater knowledge and paths of time being close to the nexus of energy. In the far distance, the looming dome of the sanctum of destiny stood, vanishing in and out of the rising plume of clouds that were drawn towards the arcane rift, the tall spires acting as natural lighting rods to take in strikes of energy to power the various devices inside still to this day. 

Yet the land had changed as surely as the rest of heaven. 

The tendrils of the rift had spread father, bringing the terrible, turbulent energy with it to surround more of Heaven. When Pandemonium had been destroyed, it seemed the arcane rift had spilled into the remains, like a punctured ocean filling a new, empty cavity. Idly Imperius wondered if that was a contributing factor to the death of the arch. 

Slowly he came upon a small rock garden with a few statues flanking at the edges, stone benches seated between them. The statues were worn, but the peculiar features remained. They were angels, but only barely in form. There was little that held limbs together save for twisted bursts of energy wrapped up tight in cloth. Trailing tendrils spread out behind them and some even had more than one pair of wings floating detached from their bodies. Ancient sentinels speaking of angels of the dynamim tribe that once floated and thrived within this broken land, more than content to their study.

Imperius took a seat, staring off at the chaotic void before taking in a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves and attempt meditation. It was always hard to quiet the mind though, especially with all that had happened and all the concerns, great and small, pressing upon his shoulders. The fate of Heaven, the dying arch, Aladria and Hadriel finding a way to sort out their past, Malthael’s own secrets, Rakanoth’s ascension, Belial’s deal… too many things to keep together. 

Imperius leaned back against the statue, stretching his legs out in front of him and wincing a bit. His whole body ached and he was feeling the phantom spasms of the tail he once had. He reached back a hand to feel at the base of his spine at the stump, wondering if it would end up growing back. He hated the accursed thing at first, but it had proven to be a rather useful appendage. 

Even if it was horribly cumbersome. 

The archangel of valor, drew his hand away from the stump, glancing out over the twisting landscape. If the arch died, perhaps this is what would merely happen to Heaven as well. It would start to crumble away as the arcane sea slowly drew it in, adding it to the endless well of power beyond. He recalled Itherael once mentioning that the energy of the rift went far deeper than could be imagined and it may remain unknown if there was any end to it or if that realm of energy was the very fabric of creation that surrounded all things like a bubble. 

If that were true, it made the rest of creation feel so small and insignificant. So fragile, like small boats being tossed about where oblivion was only a wrong spell away. 

Imperius was drawn from his musings by the sound of footsteps. He half expected it to be Rakanoth, roused from his nap and looking for him or possibly Ignaceus needing something clarified. What he hadn’t expected was to see Tyrael touching down in the courtyard, his posture hunched and wings already drawing in close to his back once more.

The archangel of justice raised his head, giving a small nod of greeting as he approached slowly. 

“Imperius….I had heard you had returned.” Tyrael said softly, “It is good to have you back.”

“Tyrael,” Imperius greeted, his tone cautious, “I am sorry to have left you with the burden of leadership while I was having a…lack of thought in my actions.”

Tyrael was silent for a moment before shaking his head, “It is fine,” he murmured, his posture stiffening more, “But, perhaps in the future, you leave the throne of Heaven to someone that is not held in silent contempt by all.” 

Imperius cocked his head as he watched Tyrael walk forward, the archangel of justice moving to the very edge of the ledge to balance precariously on the edge. His wings flicked out to help maintain his balance as he stood there, his gaze fixed ahead on the swelling maelstrom beyond the edges of the broken landscape. Everything in his body language spoke of tension. Even the way he clasped his hands so tightly behind his back. 

“I heard that some were not pleased at my choice in leadership,” Imperius said at length, stepping up beside Tyrael, “That there was dissonance in the rank.” 

Tyrael laughed humorlessly, “That is putting it lightly, Imperius. I could have given any order and all would have ignored it,” he said bitterly, “I do not think you understand how much our kin have come to loath me and my actions in the past.”

“I do understand. Do not forget, Tyrael that I was there when you made your choices and I felt all of Heaven in those moments when you fell,” he growled, “I felt the pain and loss your fall ripped into all of us.”

“I was doing what was right,” Tyrael murmured, “My sacrifice-“

“Meant the world to mortals, but it meant nothing to Heaven,” Imperius said, unable to keep the slight irritation out of his voice, “How many times must I tell you this? What is so hard to understand that your fall from Heaven was seen more as a betrayal?”

Tyrael’s shoulder’s tensed, “I had to.” 

“Had to,” Imperius growled, crossing his arms, “And why did you have to? Because it was written in your fate? That some prophecy spoke of your fall and thus you are compelled to find a way to ensure it comes to pass?”

“No one would help Sanctuary or the mortals!” 

“And your fall gave Diablo all the means he needed to push forward his plans and resulted in the death of more mortals as a result!” Imperius snapped, “Your fall was the catalyst to all our demise!” 

Tyrael stiffened, his grip tightening on his forearms. Imperius stared at him for a moment before looking away with a sigh, the anger already bleeding away to be replaced by an aching weariness about the whole argument. The same argument they’ve had since Tyrael fell. 

It was one they had continued to have over and over again with the same results. Imperius raised his gaze to the burning rift, the air filled with the rumble of thunder as more cracks of energy rented the sky. 

“The past is the past. It has no bearings now and no amount of words will change the results,” Imperius finally said, unable to keep the weariness out of his words, “We do not see the world the same way.”

“It isn’t in the past though. The choices I’ve made have echoed much louder here in Heaven than it ever could in Sanctuary,” Tyrael said quietly, “Those I once called comrades despise me, and those that once followed me see my words as the babblings of a madman.”

“I doubt it is not as terrible as you describe. There is at least someone who may hold you in some regards,” Imperius retorted. 

Tyrael let out a bark of bitter laughter, “Says the one who hates me the most.”

Imperius paused at his words, looking over the other archangel. If this had been earlier, before his corruption, he might have agreed with Tyrael’s assessment. He would have readily agreed to hating the archangel of justice for all his wrongs.

Now, as he looked at Tyrael, he was somewhat surprised that there wasn’t a swell of hatred or anger. There was a small irritation, but it was peppered with a marked listlessness that gave way only to apathy. 

There was nothing to be felt about Tyrael. Nothing at all.

Imperius looked away as that realization settled finally into his conscious thoughts. He raised a hand to rub over his chest and idly wondered if something about it had eaten away the hatred. Or maybe it was because something else had started to finally fill the void that Tyrael’s fall had left after all this time. 

“I don’t hate you. Not anymore,” Imperius finally admitted out loud, “but I also don’t feel any affection either.”

“Then what do you feel about me?”

Imperius looked out at the broken landscape. Chaotic, but so bland and bled of color, like a wash of grey set against a muted violet twisted within various shades of black. 

“I don’t know. I don’t really feel anything for you,” Imperius said with a shake of his head, “I feel rather indifferent about things. You are another angel of Heaven, someone that is part of our community, but…that is all.” 

Tyrael tensed, his shoulders hunching as he looked away, “…I think I would prefer your anger towards me than just…complete apathy.”

“What is the point of getting angry about it now? It is what lead me to this current state of corruption and it has been exhausting to care enough to even be upset about it,” Imperius murmured, “I’m just tired of arguing. I’m tired of having to always feeling upset.” 

“Can we not be comrades again?”

Imperius paused, considering Tyrael’s words before giving a shake of his head, teeth clicking together, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust you like that again Tyrael. It was perhaps…more toxic a relationship than either of us wants to admit.” 

He could see Tyrael’s shoulders tense again, his head bowed as he leaned his weight forward, teetering on that edge before rocking back slowly, “I….I see.”

Tyrael looked away, taking a steadying breath to try to keep the tremor out of his voice, “And does the rest of Heaven tire of me as well? If they do not hate me, then am I simply just some relic of a past they want to bury?” 

“I do not know. I cannot feel Heaven as I once did.”

The two fell silent, the only sound the crash of stone when some of the slowly floating landmasses ran into one another. Tyrael’s wings were pulled tight to his back as he stared off, fingers digging against his forearms as he clasped them behind his back. 

“I don’t belong in Heaven anymore, do I?” Tyrael asked quietly, “I don’t belong here.” 

“That seems to be entirely up to you if that is true or not,” Imperius responded, “I am not going to concern myself with where you think you belong.”

The archangel of valor paused, turning away, “Maybe you will only ever be happy with mortals now. Maybe you really can never be among your own kin again.”

“Mortals,” Tyrael gave a small shake of his head, “Mortals have forgotten me. I’m merely a legend of the past, some figure. They see the angel and the mortal as…two different people. Even they cannot seem to see me as…just one being.” 

“Then maybe you have to make a choice on what you are and again, that is no longer my concern or duty to tell you that,” Imperius turned away from Tyrael, “Go back to Sanctuary if that is where you feel you belong.” 

“In this modern age, they would most likely hunt me down rather than leave me in peace,” Tyrael drawled, “These dark nephelem do not see there to be any means of living in peace with Heaven.” 

“Call the dark nephelem what they call themselves, Tyrael,” the archangel of valor said tersely, looking over his shoulder, “They call themselves the Horadrim.”

Tyrael flinched, looking away silently. Slowly though, a bitter, broken laugh escaped him as he shook his head, “Why is it that everything I do, everything I have created to try to help has been twisted? I have done more to aid Hell than to help mortals or Heaven. It is as fate had created me to be the agent of Hell’s victory, not of its defeat.” 

Imperius glanced to him, before turning away, “Everyone makes mistakes-“

“But not nearly as many as I have, nor am hated for it,” Tyrael managed out, “I feel so lost, Imperius. I don’t know what to do. I do not know what purpose I have in this new age.” 

There was so much pain in Tyrael and Imperius wondered if as a mortal it was just easier to ignore the larger picture and to forget things. Or just being with a few that believed in you was enough to validate everything. There was a swell of pity in Imperius for the other angel, but it was not enough to surmount the apathy he felt. He turned back towards the archangel of justice, regarding him for a moment before looking away. 

 

“I’m sorry then that I brought you back at all. You may have been happier to have died and be left to rest, feeling you had accomplish some good in this world.”

Tyrael was trembling some, wings tight to his back and there were many faint emotions spilling off him that Imperius could barely detect. Pain and sadness mixed with guilt and resentment. Anger and uncertainty and a despair that felt so keen, Imperius was sure Rakanoth would be bloated if he were to feed off it. 

“Maybe. Maybe I would have been…would have been contented to that fate,” Tyrael managed out, “I would have died in a world that I still felt I was a part of.” 

Imperius turned away again, wings flaring, “Then go back to it. Nothing keeps you here Tyrael and you can go with my blessings if you wish to live as a mortal.”

“And what will that accomplish?”

“Nothing,” Imperius answered simply, “But at the very least, mortal lives are short, and your time as one will be just a single lifetime. If you cannot feel like you belong in Heaven, then maybe the real Tyrael is the mortal that he became.” 

Tyrael was silent. He did not move as he balanced there on the edge, looking down. His grip was tight on his own forearms, to the point there was a hiss of metal against metal as he dug the digits into his own form. 

“You really do not care about me.” 

“I pity you,” Imperius said softly, “I pity your plight but I cannot do anything about it.” 

“Pity my plight.” Tyrael let out a choked laugh, his voice starting to crack under the weight of the maelstrom in his soul, “So I have your pity and nothing else.” 

“I cannot force myself to care Tyrael. Not anymore,” Imperius tensed, “I felt sorry for myself and ran away from my duties. I am not going to fall into that. If you don’t like the situation, Tyrael, then do something about it. Go become a mortal! Or stay! I don’t care what choice you make, but do not drag me into your personal misery. Leave me out of your life if my only purpose is to the support you will tear down whenever it pleases you!” 

Tyrael flinched, stepping back from the edge some. He unclasped his hands as he did so, his shoulders falling as he looked at Imperius. The archangel of valor merely looked back. Long gone was the confident Tyrael of the long distant past, the rebel who was a spark of dissonance that could shake the halls of Heaven with his words alone. 

The one who fell for mortals and doomed Heaven. The one who’s words would spark a fervor in mortals that would be twisted in to a hatred of Heaven at his death. Beloved by the mortals. Hated by Heaven. Applauded by Hell. Forgotten to time. 

He seemed so broken now and Imperius felt pity, but he could not help him. Not when Tyrael had fractured who he was into so many different facades, each one reflecting back a different Tyrael that everyone expected and not one of them who Tyrael was. 

 

“I do not belong here, but I have nowhere else to go,” Tyrael said softly, voice broken, “Sanctuary is not how it was. I cannot run away from my duties but,” He took a deep breath, shaking his head, “I am no archangel. Perhaps I never was meant to be one.”

He turned towards Imperius then, gaze fixed on the ground, “I spoke about how we were meant for greater things,” he shook his head, voice growing bitter, “And now realize how empty those words really were. Some are destined for greatest. Others of us…other of us were meant to fade away to the background.”

Tyrael’s hands clenched at his side before they relaxed and he moved to take the hilt of El’druin in hand. He looked at the weapon, the blade materializing with but a thought. The archangel of justice stared at it for a long time before he moved towards Imperius, turning to hand the blade to him, head bowed, “I wish to abdicate my rank,” he said quietly, “I am not fit to wield El’druin or call myself an archangel of justice when I no longer even can uphold my own ideals.” 

Imperius tensed, looking at the blade, “El’druin picks its wielder, Tyrael-“

“And I will never carry the blade again with the dignity it deserves. The harm I’ve wrought with it,” Tyrael trailed off, holding out the blade insistently towards Imperius, “Please. El’druin deserves better. It has made the wrong choice for a long, long time.”

The archangel of valor looked at Tyrael. The blade had become to dissipate, fading away until only the hilt remained once more. The core was dimming, no longer resonating with its owner. The essence within the weapon had resonated so closely with Tyrael for so long, had held so much of Tyrael’s spirit within it to the point it had saved his memories of the fall within itself as it fell with him. Imperius could remember forging the blade of justice, using the shards that had once been part of the archangel of judgement’s blade, infusing each slam of his hammer with the energy of the arch to make a weapon of great power.

El’Druin was a sword that would determine its own faith and always uphold justice in any form that was to be taken. The blade had been practically bound to Tyrael, part of the archangel of justice’s resonance burned into is core after so many years of service. 

Now it almost looked as if it were dying as if it too could no longer connect to the one who had wielded it for so long. Imperius took a step forward and reached out to take the handle of the blade, “This blade was made for you, by my hands. It was meant to be used by its champion.” 

“It belongs to someone else who is more worthy of the title of the defender of Heaven’s heart and laws,” Tyrael responded, turning away. 

“And if you are not the archangel of justice, then what will you do now?” Imperius asked, a slight waver of anger in his voice, “What will you make of yourself?” 

Tyrael chuckled although the sound was broken, barely above a sob, “I will return to the one thing I have always been able to do right,” He said, looking to Imperius, “Everything I have built in heaven during my years as a mason has remained standing and has brought no harm. What I have built provides shelter and comfort and it is there that I will return. There is plenty now to keep me busy. There are a few angels wishing to take up the craft and others still that wish to improve. In guiding them, at least, I have a purpose.”

Tyrael gave a shake of his head, taking in another breath to steady his voice, “I’ll be no one of importance. I am no archangel of justice. The duties of the court and laws of Heaven should be passed to another,” He paused, turning away, “Someone who can actually make a difference in this world. Not someone who was probably meant only to be a simple builder.”

Nothing else was said as the former archangel of justice took quickly to wing leaving Imperius standing there. There was anger in Imperius’s core and he wanted to yell and claim Tyrael once more was running from his duties rather than face it, but at the same time, the pity and apathy stayed his temper. Yelling would do nothing and perhaps…perhaps this was for the best. 

Perhaps in this at least, Tyrael may find some peace of mind. 

Maybe it was time for heaven to move on from the its old ideas of its past champions. 

Imperius looked down to El’druin, the core almost completely barren now. If a weapon could weep, most assuredly the sword of justice would do so. It made Imperius ache, reminded of the loss of his own weapon. After so many battles and conflicts, so many trials and tribulations, the weapon of an angel became almost sentient in its own way. 

Solarion was gone. El’druin abandoned. 

Imperius let his fingers trace over the core before he let out a growl, turning towards the rift and pulled back his arm in a sudden spat of anger. He stopped himself short of throwing the blade forward into the rift to let the chaotic energies have it, slowly lowering his arm again.

He had made the blade for Tyrael. Had put so much time and effort, so much pride into it.

And it had been abandoned. 

Perhaps that alone was the greatest sign of their broken friendship finally crumbling to dust. Imperius let out a sigh and teleported away from the broken land, appearing within the halls of valor. More so, appearing within his forge. 

He looked at the handle of the weapon before he tossed it aside, letting El’druin clang unceremoniously into the pile of broken, and discarded weapons that were merely used for scraps for larger projects. 

The core was completely cool now. The blade was silent. 

 

It did not look out of place with the broken relics of the past. 

Imperius turned away from it, casting a look about his forge before moving over to a weapon locker on the far wall, throwing it open. Within was a collection of spears that were more the standard fare of most troops. He took one down, eyeing it critically before tossing it aside with a grunt of disgust. Another one followed it. Then another one, He had empty out the cabinet, his chest filled with disgust as he kicked one of the discarded spears across the floor. None of them felt right. All of them were slightly off-balanced from what he was used to. Good for troops, but not an archangel who had wielded a weapon tailored made to him.

Just as he was about to turn away, he paused, catching a glint of something else tucked away in the cabinet. He reached down to pick it up and felt a nostalgic swell within his soul. It was a small spear, one used for training purposes of fledglings. Of note though, it was the same training spear he had practically been bonded to since he was old enough to start holding a spear. It had been a gift from Tyranius and from the moment she had given it to him, he had carried it around, strapped to his back to every class. He would take poetry units with it leaned up against the desk as it he was about to combat poetry rather than write it. Of course as he had gotten older, he had gotten too big for the little thing, but he had never been able to simply throw it away.

It was a sentimental relic, one that had been at his side for just as long as Solarion had been.

Imperius glanced over his shoulder at his forge.

He needed a new weapon. 

The archangel of valor turned around with the small spear in hand, holding it up to the light as he moved towards the core of his forge. The spear was small, but it could be used as the base for a larger weapon. The metal was good and would be sufficient for the core of his new weapon. Imperius set the spear down beside the anvil, casting a critical look about his forge. 

To create great weapons, more than just metal would be needed. Solarion had been forged in a dying star which had given it its incredible power, especially over fire. This new weapon he would forge though would have to be even greater, even more powerful than that. The metal that would be used to forge the larger body around his old training spear would have to be unlike anything seen in creation before or ever again. It would be a weapon bound to him, made with all the power he had left that would make all of Hell remember the fury of Heaven. 

It would be work that would keep his mind busy and allow him a break from the constant pressures that came with the crown he now held. 

Imperius moved to pick up his favored forge hammer, weighing it in hand before moving to the bellows. 

He would first need to forge prototypes to see how he wanted the spear to be and the balance that was needed. Once that was done, he could begin working on the materials he would need to gather and consider what source of power he would draw on to feed the energy of his forge that he would channel into each powerful swing of his hammer. 

He would forge a new weapon in the ashes of the old.  
And maybe in the work, he could forge the ache that was returning to his soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there is gonna be a gap between this chapter and the next...why? I'm going to be posting Chapter 30-35 days apart as an anniversary thank you for the continued support on this story! The end is starting to come into sight! 
> 
> Got some big events that are starting to unfold!

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY getting this posted! Up to chapter 16 has already been written for NANO I believe? I know 50k words of this but the outline goes up to like chapter forty and counting. Long fic, but hopefully I get everyone's entrance to take this wild story with me!


End file.
